Lecturer/Assistant Professor

School of Political Science and International Studies​

University of Queensland

Michael A. Gavin

I am a Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the School of Political Science & International Studies at the University of Queensland.

I research the politics of IMF lending and central banking, both in emerging and developing economies and historically. Why are national central banks pillars financial stability while the IMF remains a chastened institution? Why are populist leaders more likely to pressure their independent central bank? And do their pressure tactics succeed (hint: yes)? Why were the first central banks founded and does it have anything to do with war (hint: mostly no)?

I have published in Comparative Political Studies (also here), International Studies Quarterly, The Review of International Organizations, and ​​Environmental and Resource Economics. My research has also appeared in Bloomberg (paywalled, sorry).

My research uses formal modelling, original datasets, quantitative methods, qualitative field work, and case study analysis.