The MIDEBT Team
Matt is an Associate Professor at Leiden University. You can learn more about his other research on his webpage: matthewdigiuseppe.com
Matthew DiGiuseppe
Principle Investigator
Alessia Aspide is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne. She concluded her work on the MIDEBT project in 2024
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She holds a BSc degree in Economics from the University of Naples Federico II and an MSc degree in Political Economy of Europe from the London School of Economics. At Leiden, she studies the political economy of sovereign debt, with a focus on how institutions and citizens’ preferences interact to shape incentives and constraints in fiscal policymaking.
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Starting in October 2024, Alessia will join the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies as a Post-doc.
Alessia Aspide
PhD Researcher
Katie Brown is currently a Postdoctoral researcher in the Networks and the Rule of Law Project. She concluded her work on the MIDEBT project in 2025.
Her work explores sovereign debt politics in emerging market states and investigates how transparency and international organizations shape government decisions to borrow, how much, and from whom. You can learn more about her on her webpage: kathleenjbrown.com
Kathleen Brown
PhD Researcher
Patrick E. Shea is an affiliate researcher with MIDEBT
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He is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Glasgow whose work sits at the intersection of international political economy, conflict, and state-building. He focuses on how access to external finance and great-power economic influence shape domestic institutions, state capacity, and leaders’ survival.
Patrick E. Shea
Senior Lecturer
University of Glasgow