Thomas Hinkel

I am a political scientist specializing in the political economy of armed conflict, with a particular focus on how economic and social structures shape political authority, governance, and patterns of conflict.
 
My research examines the relationship between illicit economies, social organization, and political order, particularly in the Sahel. My recent work explores how transformations in northern Mali’s regional trading and smuggling economies have reshaped social structures, armed-group organization, and trajectories of conflict and state formation. More broadly, I am interested in how economic systems create relationships of dependence, interdependence, and power, and how these relationships condition the political institutions and forms of authority that emerge around them.

A second strand of my research examines religion, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution, including the mechanisms through which religious actors influence peace processes and the conditions under which their interventions are effective.

My broader research interests include the political economy of conflict; illicit and informal economies; rebel governance and state formation; conflict resolution and peacebuilding; political risk; early warning and rapid response; and economic and climate resilience.