Thomas Pepinsky

Thomas Pepinsky is a professor in the government department, faculty affiliate and interim director (Spring 2020) of the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) at Cornell University, as well as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. He studies comparative politics and political economy, with a focus on emerging market economies in Southeast Asia. Pepinsky is cofounder and member of the Executive Board of the Southeast Asia Research Group (SEAREG), and past president of the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS).

His research centers around two themes: the relationship between economic interests and political outcomes, and the interaction between domestic politics and the global economy. Most of my work focuses on emerging markets, and I have a special interest in Southeast Asia and the Muslim world. My current work focuses on issues relating to identity, politics, and political economy in comparative and international politics.