Jacob Nyrup

I am a PhD Researcher at WEALTHPOL and a DPhil student in Politics at Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

My research interests lie within the field of comparative politics and political economy. In my thesis, I examine why authoritarian regimes vary so dramatically in terms of their ability to produce ‘better’ levels of economic development. I look at three aspects of economic development; economic growth, income and wealth inequality, and policy outputs such as literacy and infant mortality. Earlier studies have looked primarily at economic growth, but this only gives us half of the picture. An authoritarian regime may be able to foster growth, but if the autocrat and his political elite manage to seize the economic output, economic growth will make very little difference for the broader population. We therefore also need to take inequality into account. Besides my research, I also teach quantitative methods at the Oxford Q-Step Centre.

Before I started on my doctorate I was working as a management consultant for the public sector in Denmark, where I used statistical methods to solve some of the biggest problems facing the public sector in Denmark. This has given me a deep insight into how to gather and use data published by government departments and agencies. Furthermore, I gained a practical understanding of how public policies are made and how they impact our world.

I received my bachelor's degree in Political Science from University of Copenhagen in 2013. Thereafter I moved to London, where I earned a MSc (with distinction) in Political Economy and Political Science from London School of Economics. In addition, I hold a MSc in Political Science from University of Copenhagen.