Guy Grossman Named David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations

Guy Grossman, Professor of Political Science, has been named David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations. A leading scholar of comparative politics whose research focuses on governance, migration, human trafficking, and conflict processes (mostly) in the context of developing countries. Grossman uses large-scale field experiments to answer central questions about the political causes and consequences of migration and forced displacement. His research has received support from the Fund for Innovation in Development, Development Innovation Ventures, IPA and J-PAL’s Displaced Livelihoods Initiative, UNHCR-World Bank Joint Data Center, Penn Global, and the Program to End Modern Slavery, among other grants. 

Grossman is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles. In 2022, he won a Political Ties Award for Best Published Article from APSA’s Political Networks Section for his article “Viral Voting: Social Networks and Political Participation.” He is the founder and co-director of Penn’s Development Research Initiative (PDRI-DevLab), a faculty affiliate of The Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration Study, a member of Wharton’s Lauder Graduate Group in International Studies, and an advisory board member of Perry World House and the Penn Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics.

The David M. Knott Professorship of Global Politics and International Relations was established by the late David M. Knott, C’67, WG’73. Knott founded Knott Partners and served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. At Penn, he was a member of the Wharton School’s Graduate Executive Board and the University Committee for Undergraduate Financial Aid.