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Kara Ross Camarena

Assistant Professor

Loyola University Chicago

Kara Ross Camarena is Assistant Professor at Loyola University Chicago and a Faculty Affiliate of The Pearson Institute. She studies the political economy of migration, conflict, and development. Her research asks questions about how human mobility, politics, and economics interact, and she is particularly interested in implications for conflict, development, and foreign aid.  

Her work has been published in the American Journal of Political Science and PLOS One. Her new research explores what motivates repatriation agreements between refugee origin and asylum countries.  Another project examines what motivates individuals to repatriate during a crisis.

Camarena has done field work in Tanzania, Kenya, and Australia. She has consulted with a variety of private and government organizations on program evaluation and migration. Prior to joining the faculty at Loyola, Camarena was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Harris School of Public Policy. She earned a PhD from the Department of Government at Harvard University, an MPP from the Harris School of Public Policy, and a BA from the College at the University of Chicago. Before returning to the academy, Kara worked in the non-profit sector in the United States and in development in Tanzania.  

Baidoa, Somalia

Makeshift, temporary shelter made of plastic and clothing at a refugee center in Baidoa, Somalia.