Yotam Margalit specializes in the fields of international and comparative political economy. Much of his current work deals with the political consequences of globalization, examining how its economic and cultural effects influence electoral politics and shape mass preferences on issues such as trade, immigration and welfare spending. Other recent work examines why some developing countries are much more successful than others in attracting foreign direct investment. This project builds on a large experimental cross-national study of firms that Margalit devised and is currently heading in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Margalit’s research has been funded by fellowships and awards from the Mellon Foundation, the Sawyer Foundation, the Program of Global Justice at Stanford University and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs. Prior to his academic career, Margalit worked in management consulting in London, UK and was an executive of an international enterprise software firm in San Francisco, CA.
Margalit graduated with honors from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, receiving his B.A. in Economics and History. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University.