Paul Dragos Aligica is a leading institutional theory and governance expert, recognized internationally for his scholarly work and practical contributions to public policy and economic thought.

He currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and holds the position of KPMG Professor of Governance at the University of Bucharest. Additionally, he is a Senior Nonresident Scholar with the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh.

Aligica’s academic background is multidisciplinary, encompassing economics, sociology, and political science. He earned his PhD in political science from Indiana University Bloomington, where he studied under Nobel laureates Vincent and Elinor Ostrom at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis. In 2023, he was elected a member of The Academy of Europe (Academia Europaea), affiliated with the “Governance, Institutions, and Policy” section.

His research and publications have made significant contributions to the fields of public governance, institutional diversity, and comparative economic systems. Notable works include:

• Public Governance and the Classical Liberal Perspective: The Political Economy Foundations (Oxford University Press, 2019, co-authored with Peter Boettke and Vlad Tarko)

• Public Entrepreneurship, Citizenship, and Self-Governance (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

• Institutional Diversity and Political Economy: The Ostroms and Beyond (Oxford University Press, 2014)

Aligica has published in leading academic journals such as the American Political Science Review, Public Choice, and Governance: International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, and has contributed commentary to outlets like the Wall Street Journal Europe.

Beyond academia, Aligica has extensive consultancy experience with organizations including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and various European Union bodies. He is also noted for his involvement in Romanian civil society and public policy, particularly during the country’s post-communist transition.