Thad DunningRobson Professor in Political ScienceUniversity of California, Berkeley A vast literature highlights the political, social, and economic consequences of slavery. Yet previous research — particularly in political science and particularly in work on Latin America — appears to have missed important channels through which the regulation of slavery contributed crucially to state-building. In this research in progress, Dunning argues that the regulation of slavery in imperial Brazil contributed to the construction of a bureaucracy that was autonomous in many ways of slaveholder interests and propose the hypothesis that this was driven by imperatives of political survival. He then empirically examine two main vehicles through which an autonomous state was built: responses to lawsuits for freedom brought on behalf of enslaved persons and appeals for protection in the carceral system. The argument and supporting evidence may contribute new comparative insights to the understanding of state-building in the Americas.Thad Dunning is the Robson Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley and director of the Center on the Politics of Development. His research centers on comparative politics, political economy, and quantitative methods, with a regional focus on Latin America, Africa, and India. For more information, visit the event page. Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute at the Keough School of Global Affairs.

David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, will deliver a lecture in the auditorium of the Hesburgh Center for International Studies. The international aid system is facing unprecedented pressures. Rising global risks, shifting geopolitical dynamics and reduced funding have left aid efforts increasingly stretched, particularly in the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected regions. Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary, will explore these challenges and the need for a focused reform agenda. He will examine how aid can concentrate on the areas of greatest need, foster efficiency and innovation and continue its essential mission of combating extreme poverty and alleviating human suffering even in the face of tighter budgets. This event is in partnership with the Keough School’s Pulte Institute for Global Development. About the Series This event is part of the Dean's Forum on Global Affairs, designed to bring world leaders into conversation with Notre Dame students, faculty and the broader community around current challenges shaping global affairs. Originally published at keough.nd.edu.