Rate My Professor Samuel Weldeegzie

Samuel Gidey Weldeegzie serves as Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics at the College of William and Mary, where he joined the faculty in 2024. He earned his B.A. from Jimma University, M.A. from Erasmus University, and Ph.D. in Economics from the Australian National University. Weldeegzie's research centers on development economics, with particular emphasis on the economics of education, health economics, labor economics, and the socioeconomic impacts of conflict. His work explores how conflict exposure affects human capital accumulation, educational outcomes, and economic development, often drawing on evidence from Ethiopia.

Key publications include 'The persistent effect of conflict on educational outcomes: Evidence from Ethiopia,' published in the International Journal of Educational Development, which investigates the long-term consequences of conflict on schooling and cognitive skills. Another significant contribution is 'Nationalism and economic openness: The cross-country evidence,' co-authored with Robert Breunig, Vishesh Agarwal, Sadia Arfin, and Tong Zhang, and appearing in Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies in 2021. This paper examines the interplay between nationalism and economic policies across countries. His Ph.D. dissertation, 'Empirical Essays on Childhood Human Capital in Ethiopia,' completed in 2017, comprises empirical analyses of childhood development in conflict-prone settings. Prior to his current appointment, Weldeegzie held a position as Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at the College of William and Mary and serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at Christopher Newport University. His research has been featured in conference presentations, including the Annual Bank Conference on Africa and the RISE Annual Conference.