Wilson Prichard

Biography

Wilson Prichard is an Associate Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Department of Political Science, is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and is the CEO of International Center for Tax and Development.  He holds a Ph.D. and MPhil from the Institute of Development Studies, and a BA from Harvard University.  His research is focused on the question of taxation and development, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.  How can states expand their ability to raise revenues equitably in order to finance services and redistribution?  And what are the broader implications of expanded tax systems for state-building and accountability?  He is the author of Taxation, Responsiveness, and Accountability:  The Dynamics of Tax Bargaining in Sub-Saharan Africa (Cambridge University Press) and Taxing Africa (Zed Books, named a Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2019).  His work has appeared in a wide range of academic journals, including the British Journal of Political Science, International Affairs, World Development, and the Journal of Development Studies, and he also writes and blogs broadly for policy audiences.  He works closely with civil society organizations, national governments, regional organizations, and international agencies, including as research lead on the World Bank’s Innovations in Tax Compliance program, as the technical lead on a reform of the property tax system in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and as a member of the Advisory Board to the ‘BEPS and Mining’ program of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

International Development, Sub-Sahara Africa
Comparative politics, International Political Economy, and Economics
Taxation, Government Revenues, State Building and Accountability
Aid Reform
Tax Havens and International Tax Reform
Political Foundations of  Development

EDUCATION

Sh. D – University of Sussex, UK, (2010)

M.Phil  – University of Sussex, UK, (2006)

B.A – Honours, Harvard University (2003)

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

50^th Anniversary Commonwealth Scholarship, 2007-2010
Centre for the Future, State Fellowship to attend Arizona State University Institute on Qualitative and Multi-Methods Research, 2008
Centre for International Development Fellowship, Harvard University, 2002
Radcliffe College Fellowship, Harvard University, 2001

Selected Publications

Joshi, Anuradha, Wilson Prichard and Chris Heady, (forthcoming) “Taxing the Informal Sector: A Review of the Literature” Journal of Development Studies

Hassan, Mirza and Wilson Prichard (2013) “The Political Economy of Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform,” ICTD Working Paper.  Brighton: Institute of Development Studies. In press.

Jibao, Samuel and Wilson Prichard (2013) “The Political Economy of Property Tax Reform in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone:  Lessons and Opportunities” ICTD Working Paper.  Brighton: Institute of Development Studies.

Prichard, Wilson (2010), “Taxation and State Building: Towards a Governance Focused Tax Reform Agenda” IDS Working Paper 341, Brighton: Institute of Development Studies

Prichard, Wilson and David Leonard (2010), “Does Reliance on Tax Revenue Build State Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa?” International Review of Administrative Sciences 76(4): 653-675

COURSES

Government and Politics in Africa
The Political Foundations of Development: Elites, Revenue, Conflict and Aid
Global Public Policy Analysis
Development Policy and Change