Meet Constantine Manda, University of California
Project Title: Identifying Important Religious Legacies of Ancient African States
Constantine Manda is an assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of California, Irvine since July 2023. His area of expertise includes comparative politics and the political economy of development with a regional focus on Africa. At UCI, Dr. Manda teaches courses on African politics, political economy, decolonization, genopolitics, global politics, program evaluation, among others. His work is published in the Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, among others. He is a recipient of a visiting fellowship at the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) based at UC Berkeley’s Department of Economics in the Fall of 2012. Dr. Manda is also co-founded the Impact Evaluation Laboratory (IEL) at the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in his native Tanzania. The IEL’s portfolio of activities include capacity building, research and policy work to straddle multiple randomized experimental evaluations of interventions and policies with an annual budget close to $800,000. Dr. Manda is also a co-founder of the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA). In recognition for these and other similar efforts, Dr. Manda was named one of the 30 Most Influential Young Economists in Africa in 2022. Over the last twelve years, Dr. Manda has built the capacities of over 465 Black researchers and students in Kenya, Tanzania, Benin, and the United States through Strathmore University’s Business School, UDSM, the African School of Economics, and Yale University, respectively. Dr. Manda’s work in Africa and his dissertation work did not limit him from contributing to increasing diversity and belonging during his time at Yale University. Specifically, he was nominated and served on then-Secretary and Vice President for Student Life’s Kimberly M. Goff-Crews’ Student Advisory Group on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which instituted many changes to improve not just diversity but a sense of belonging for minority groups on campus including especially, Black staff, students, and faculty. Dr. Manda was especially nominated to represent the views of Black students in the Advisory Group. Dr. Manda’s research has received funding from various organizations including the Hewlett Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, the Social Science Research Council, CEGA. He remains an emerging and promising Black scholar both in Africa and in the US who connects other Black scholars through leveraging his privileged access to various research networks such as being a CEGA Faculty Affiliate, a J-PAL Invited Researcher, and an affiliated researcher at the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)— where he also sits on the Researcher Diversification Strategy Advisory Board. Dr. Manda has doctoral training in political science from Yale University (2022); a master of public policy from the University of Chicago (2010); and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Xavier University (2009).
About the APSA Advancing Research Grants for Early Career Scholars
The APSA Diversity and Inclusion Advancing Research Grants are open to all to provide research support that examines political science phenomena affecting underserved communities and underrepresented groups. In July 2025, APSA awarded 11 projects for the APSA Diversity and Inclusion Advancing Research Grant for Early Career Scholars for a combined total award amount of $22,000. In December 2025, APSA was able to fund an additional five scholars for a combined total award amount of $10,000.
Read about Advancing Research Grants for Early Career Scholars