Benjamin Marx is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at Boston University. His research interests are mainly in political economy and development. One strand of his research studies the determinants of political accountability, state capacity, and voting behavior in developing countries. He has worked in various countries including Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda as well as, more recently, Indonesia. Another strand explores the political economy of religion, with the goal of better understanding the interplay between religious institutions, politics, and culture. In addition, he is interested in the study of discrimination and the political economy of urban poverty. He completed his PhD in Economics from MIT in 2018.