Mae MacDonald

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science and Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University. I study refugee policy and foreign aid in the Global South.

My research centers on the question of when and how long-term refugee crises end. I approach this question from both historical and contemporary perspectives. My book project examines the conditions under which displaced populations have achieved long-term solutions since the emergence of the modern international refugee system. Drawing on a novel, hand-coded global dataset constructed from archival sources, I analyze when refugees return home, integrate into host societies, resettle to third countries, or remain in protracted displacement.

My contemporary research focuses on policies that shape refugee outcomes today, particularly refugee integration and the effects of international aid withdrawal in East Africa. Ongoing projects include a longitudinal panel survey on the effects of USAID cuts in Kenya, a study of Kenya’s new refugee integration and work rights policy, and a randomized controlled trial with the International Rescue Committee evaluating a program for refugee entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda.

Methodologically, I combine quantitative and qualitative approaches, including design-based causal inference, randomized controlled trials, surveys, archival research, and field interviews. You can find out more about me and my research in this article from the Stanford King Center on Global Development.

At Stanford, I am a Graduate Fellow at the Immigration Policy Lab, a group of researchers that evaluate and design policies supporting the integration of immigrants and refugees worldwide. In 2024, I was awarded the Ric Weiland Graduate Fellowship, which recognizes innovation and excellence among 20 Ph.D. students across Stanford's School of Humanities & Sciences. My research has been generously supported by J-PAL/IPA Displaced Livelihoods Initiative, King Center on Global Development, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Institute for Economic Policy Research, among others.

Before beginning my doctoral studies, I worked with refugee organizations in Greece and the UK through Movement on the Ground, CalAid, and The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network. I also worked as a researcher at YouGov, where I conducted mixed-methods research for the UK government and public sector. I hold a B.A. (Double First Class) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.

If you're a prospective applicant to the Stanford Political Science Ph.D. program, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, or the P.P.E. program at Oxford, feel free to reach out for advice. You can contact me at maemac [at] stanford [dot] edu.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lisa Blaydes, James D. Fearon, and Mae MacDonald. 2025. "Understanding Intimate Partner Violence." Annual Review of Political Science 28:351–374.

Selected Works in Progress

Push, Not Peace: Reconsidering the Drivers of Refugee Return.
Job market paper.

How Refugee Crises End.
Book project.

Support for Refugee Integration in a Major Refugee-Hosting Country: Evidence from Kenya.
With Adam Lichtenheld. Under review.
Preprint.

Building Business Networks to Strengthen Refugee Economic and Social Integration.
With Sigrid Weber, Adam Lichtenheld, Jessica Wolff, Alex Wendo, Annet Adong, Clare Clingain, David Musiime, Andrew Zeitlin, and Jens Hainmueller.
IRC Re:BUiLD project website. Draft available upon request.

How Hearts and Minds Are Lost: Aid Withdrawal, Attribution, and Public Opinion.
Draft available upon request.

Selected Public Writings

Mae MacDonald, Adam Lichtenheld, and Tolossa Asrat. 2025. "Kenya Embraces Refugee Integration – and Citizens Are on Board." The New Humanitarian.