Professor Mahrukh Doctor

Professor Mahrukh Doctor

Professor of Comparative Political Economy

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Business, Law and Politics
  • School of Politics and International Studies

Qualifications

  • BA
  • MA (John Hopkins University)
  • PhD / DPhil (University of Oxford)

Summary

Mahrukh Doctor is Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Hull. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Currently, she is School Research Director and was Deputy Lead for REF2021 in the School of Politics and International Studies. She has also served as Director of Learning & Teaching for the School of Law and Politics, later only Politics, and TEF Lead for Politics.

Previous positions include the Centre for Brazilian Studies, St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford, University of Reading, and the World Bank. She served as Adjunct Professor of Latin American Politics at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS-Europe/Bologna Center from 2005 to 2017. She has also spent time as a visiting academic at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), Federal Fluminense University (Brazil) and the Johns Hopkins University SAIS-Europe (Italy). She is a Latin America Region Head for Oxford Analytica, a political risk analysis firm. She was Non-Executive Director on the Board of the BlackRock Latin America Investment Trust (2009-2023), a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Mahrukh's main research interests are in the field of comparative political economy and international political economy. She has a special interest in business-state relations, development policy, trade and industry, infrastructure (ports), foreign policy analysis and regionalism in Latin America, with a particular focus on Brazil.

She has published in various high-impact journals on Brazilian business-state relations, Brazilian foreign policy in the context of Emerging Powers, regional integration in Latin America, and EU-Mercosur negotiations / relations. She is author of Business-State Relations in Brazil: Challenges of the Port Reform Lobby (New York: Routledge, 2017).

- The Global South and Development (UG-2)

- Political Research/Pathways of Research (UG-2)

- Understanding America (UG-2)

- BRICS: Emerging Powers in International Affairs (UG-3)

- Comparative Legislatures (UG-3)

- Introduction to Global Political Economy (UG-1)

- Approaches to Research (PGT)

- Dissertation Modules (UG and PGT)

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Book Chapter

Institutional challenges, the middle-income trap, and the pursuit of global economic integration in Latin America

Doctor, M. (2024). Institutional challenges, the middle-income trap, and the pursuit of global economic integration in Latin America. In E. Amann, & P. N. Figueiredo (Eds.), Innovation, Competitiveness and Development in Latin America: Lessons from the Past and Perspectives for the Future (21-43). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197648070.003.0002

Regionalism in the Global South: Understanding the Evolution of Mercosur

Doctor, M. (2022). Regionalism in the Global South: Understanding the Evolution of Mercosur. In B. McKercher (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Diplomacy and Statecraft (309-320). (2nd edition). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003016625-31

Journal Article

The politics and policies of climate change in Brazil: mapping out the field

Milani, C., & Doctor, M. (2024). The politics and policies of climate change in Brazil: mapping out the field. Brazilian Political Science Review, 17(3), Article e-0008. https://doi.org/10.55881/art0001

Brazil's Strategic Diplomacy Failures and Foreign Policy Underachievement under Bolsonaro

Doctor, M. (2023). Brazil’s Strategic Diplomacy Failures and Foreign Policy Underachievement under Bolsonaro. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 66(1), https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7329202300111

Development banks as instruments of Brazilian strategic diplomacy

Doctor, M. (2022). Development banks as instruments of Brazilian strategic diplomacy. Contemporary Politics, 28(1), 79-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2021.1961395

Research interests

Political economy of development; Business-State relations in Latin America/Brazil; Regionalism/regional integration (especially South-South); Foreign policy analysis of Brazil; Democracy in Latin America

Postgraduate supervision

Mahrukh Doctor welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in

- political economy of development (especially Latin America)

- democratisation in Latin America

- business-state relations in Latin America

- regionalism and regional integration (especially South-South)

- emerging powers and global governance

- foreign policy analysis in Brazil/Latin America

Conference presentation

Reconstruction and Transformation Challenges in Brazil’s Economy

2024

Brazilian Studies Programme Conference, University of Oxford, Oxford (8 March 2024)

The Politics of Climate Change in Brazil

2024

Brazilian Association of Political Science (ABCP) Congress, Salvador (8 August 2024). Co-organised the panel and also served as discussant of the panel papers.

Institutional challenges, the middle income trap, and the pursuit of global economic integration in Latin America

2024

Academic Year Inaugural Lecture, UNIFACS, Salvador (9 August 2024)

Institutional Challenges, Innovation and Competitiveness in Latin America

2024

Invited Academic Seminar/Book Launch, Latin American Centre, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford (29 October 2024)

President Lula and the Macroeconomy: Reconciling Policy Preferences and Political Tensions

2023

Congress of the Association of Brazilianists in Europe (ABRE), Lisbon (5-8 September 2023)

Democratic Backsliding in Brazil: Populism in Comparative Perspective

2023

Panel on Challenges to Democracy, Johns Hopkins University SAIS-Europe, Bologna (27 April 2023)

The Prospects of the EU-MERCOSUR Trade Agreement, Between Interests and Values

2022

Between Interests and Values: The Future of EU Trade Policy Conference, Amsterdam Centre for European Studies, University of Amsterdam, (13 May 2022)

Brazilian Foreign Policy: Continuity and Change under President Bolsonaro

2021

Congress of the Association of Brazilianists in Europe (ABRE), Prague/Online (20-24 September 2021).

Bolsonaro and Business Lobbying: Structure and Agency debates in explaining the foreign policy dimensions of agricultural trade and environmental policies in Brazil

2021

Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress, Vancouver/online (27 May 2021)

Infrastructure and Regulatory Challenges for Investment in Brazil

2019

Latin America 2019 Conference: Transitions, Trade and Transparency, Chatham House/Royal Institute of International Affairs, London (21 November 2019)

New Developmentalism in Brazil

2019

Invited Academic Seminar, University of Bath (26 March 2019)

Challenges of business interest representation in the midst of crisis in Brazil

2018

Society of Latin American Studies Annual Conference, Winchester (23 March 2018)

Brazilian Ports: Challenges and Outlook for 2019

2018

International Expert Guest Speaker, Annual Conference of the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP), Brasilia (8 November 2018)

Brazil and Bolsonaro: How did it happen? What can be learned?,

2018

Invited Academic Seminar, University of York (5 March 2019)

The Itamaraty’s Shifting Responses to Business´ Foreign Policy Interests in the Context of Brazil´s Rise

2018

Invited Academic Seminar, University of São Paulo (26 June 2018)

Business Interests and Brazilian Foreign Policy: Successes and Frustrations in the PT Years, Department of Politics

2018

Invited Academic Seminar, University of York (31 January 2018)

Business interests and impacts on Brazil’s foreign policy agenda

2017

First Congress of the Association of Brazilianists in Europe (ABRE), Leiden (30 May-1 June 2017)

Brazilian Business and the Itamaraty in the PT Era

2017

Brazil and the Multipolar Global Order Conference, Brazil Institute, King’s College London (10 October 2017)

Challenges of Institutional Modernisation in Brazil: Business Lobbying and Port Regulation

2017

Invited Academic Seminar/Book Launch, Latin American Centre, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford (14 November 2017)

The Rise and Fall of Brazil in the International System: Some Reflections on the PT Years

2016

Latin American Studies Association Conference (LASA), New York (27-30 May 2016)

The Automotive Industry in Brazil

2016

Oxford Handbook of the Brazilian Economy Workshop, Faculty of Economics, University of São Paulo (1-2 August 2016)

The Economic Scenario in Brazil: Institutional Change and Policy Choices

2016

Corruption, Contraction and Crisis in Brazil, Brazilian Studies Programme workshop, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford (5 February 2016)

Challenges of Institutional Modernisation in Brazil

2016

Invited Academic Seminar, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos (23 August 2016)

From Rule-Taker to Rule-Maker and Agenda-Setter?: Brazil’s Role in Global Economic Governance

2015

Latin American Studies Association Conference (LASA), San Juan (27-30 May 2015).

Understanding Brazil’s Role in Global Economic Governance

2015

Invited Academic Seminar, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe, Bologna (13 March 2015)

The Brazilian Elections and Foreign Policy of the Next Government

2014

Congress of the Uruguayan Political Science Association (AUCiP), Montevideo (7-10 October 2014)

Evolution of Business-State Relations in Brazil: From Corporatist Associations to Pluralist Policy Networks

2014

Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association, London (20-23 August 2014)

Comparing Brazil’s Role in Institutions of Global Economic Governance: G20 and WTO

2014

Conference on Challenges to Emerging and Established Powers: Brazil and the United Kingdom in the Contemporary Global Order, University of Birmingham (30-31 May 2014)

Brazil’s Political and Economic Future

2014

Brazil’s Political and Economic Future, Conference at Chatham House, London (15 October 2014)

European Union-Mercosur Negotiations

2014

European Strategies for Latin America: Cooperation and Challenges, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London (19 June 2014)

Consultancy/Industry advisory role

BlackRock Latin America Investment Trust

2009 - 2023

Non Executive Director

Oxford Analytica Ltd.

2001

Region Head (Latin America) and Contributor (Brazil and Mercosur) Latin America Panelist for OA Global Horizons/International Conference (speaker for every year held from 2002 to 2018)

Journal editorial role

Associate Editor, Brazilian Political Science Review

2018

Other

Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy

2017

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