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      Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

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      Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

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Home / Darin Christensen
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  • Global Public Affairs, Public Policy

Darin Christensen

Vice Chair, Department of Public Policy; Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science

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Darin Christensen is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received his Ph.D. in political science and M.A. in economics from Stanford University.

Darin studies political economy, focusing on institutions and policies that promote investment and mitigate social conflict in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. He has consulted on projects for The Asia Foundation, USAID, and The World Bank.

Darin is a co-founder of the Project on Resources and Governance (PRG) and an affiliate of several academic centers, including the California Center for Population Research, Center for Effective Global Action, Evidence in Governance and Politics, and UCLA’s African Studies Center.

More information about his research and teaching can be found at darinchristensen.com.

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Educational Background

  • Ph.D. in Political Science, Stanford University
  • M.A. in Economics, Stanford University
  • A.B. in Political Science and German, Duke University

Areas of Expertise

  • Conflict, Economic Development, Political Economy

Latest News

plants near storm drain on residential street on rainy day
Informing Equitable Stormwater Investments in L.A. County
August 5, 2022

Findings from a new UCLA report emphasize the importance of community participation to identify needs and solutions at the neighborhood level.

Citizen Monitoring May Help Forest Conservation Globally
July 20, 2021

UCLA Luskin research is among studies from six world regions evaluating community monitoring of common-pool resources such as forests and water.

Latest News

|

A Research Spotlight on the World’s Vulnerable People

July 29, 2019

UCLA Luskin launches international outreach to identify strategies to empower women and children

UCLA Luskin Assistant Professor Darin Christensen at a PRG workshop in Accra, Ghana.|

Project on Resources and Governance Receives $1.4-Million Grant

December 6, 2018

Support from the Hewlett Foundation will fund research to benefit resource-rich countries that nonetheless struggle with corruption, conflict and poverty.

Conference Shares Research on Global Policy Problems 

September 25, 2017

Two-day gathering at UCLA brings together a network of social scientists and policymakers known as the Project on Resources, Development, and Governance (PRDG).

|

Tackling the Resource Curse

September 18, 2017

UCLA researchers launch the Project on Resources, Development, and Governance to design policies in countries where corruption, conflict undercut natural abundance

A UCLA Luskin Welcome

October 19, 2016

Departments of Public Policy, Social Welfare, Urban Planning welcome six new faculty members

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Contact Information

Phone

(310) 825-7196

Email

darinc@luskin.ucla.edu

Office Location

6341, Public Affairs

Media Contact

For media inquiries, contact Kate Shirley at kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu (email preferred) or 310-206-5252.

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Academics
Departments
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Urban Planning
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Urban Planning
Graduate Programs
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
Undergraduate Programs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
Professional Certificates
  • Data Analytics Certificate
  • Data Analytics Certificate
Admissions
Program Specific Admissions
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
Faculty
Our Faculty
  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
Leadership
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
Research Centers
  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

All Research Centers
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