William Favell

  1. PhD Student
Email Addresswilliam.favell@wsu.edu
LocationJohnson Tower 716
Website

Biography

Visit my personal website.

(This link leads to an external website that is not hosted by the university. The views and content expressed are those of the student and do not represent the official positions of the university.)

Having left behind the crowded streets of London for the rolling hills of the Palouse, I am a PhD candidate at Washington State University’s School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs (PPPA). My research focuses on social trust and cohesion, with a particular emphasis on preventing violent extremism. I serve as the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist for USAID’s Trust2Peace initiative in Northern Ghana, where I lead both qualitative and quantitative research, oversee field operations, and contribute to report writing and scholarly outputs.

In addition to my work with USAID, I am a co-grant writer and Co-Principal Investigator on a Minerva Research Initiative and U.S. Department of Defense-funded project: Mapping Societal Cohesion, Disinformation, and Adversary Influence Operations, and Group Formation in African Crisis Regions. This role involves coordinating advanced field research across Nigeria, Niger, Mali, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. My scholarship is driven by a commitment to fostering social cohesion and effective development policies, through close collaboration with local and international research partners.

My field experience spans sub-Saharan Africa, including work on a DFID-funded project in Togo, where I facilitated actor-based community interventions alongside local partners. This experience has been foundational, and I have since returned to Togo for extended field research during my master’s studies and continue to collaborate with partners on the ground.

For more regular updates on my work, please visit my website: (See link above)

Research Interests

My expertise lies in Comparative Politics and International Relations, with a focus on social cohesion, peacebuilding, conflict processes, and political psychology. Central to my research are social movements, trust-building, civic engagement, and civil associations in conflict-affected regions. I explore how social mechanisms can be leveraged to mitigate violent extremist mobilization.

I employ a global comparative approach, with significant attention to the African continent, where I have conducted fieldwork in Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Togo. My research outputs are produced using both quantitative and mixed methods, with a particular emphasis on Novel Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology. This innovative approach has allowed me to map behavioral networks across entire community samples in rural Ghana, contributing to the support of development initiatives and informing my forthcoming scholarship.

I have proudly presented my research at several prominent conferences, including the American Political Science Association (APSA), the International Studies Association (ISA), the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), the British Political Studies Association (PSA), and the Western Political Science Association (WPSA). I am committed to actively participating in professional and research environments throughout the academic life.

Committee Members

  • Jacob Lewis (Washington State University)
  • John McCauley (University of Maryland)
  • Janet Lewis (George Washington University)
  • Travis Ridout (Washington State University)
  • Anthony Lopez (Washington State University)

Education and Training

I hold an MSc in Democracy and Comparative Politics from University College London (UCL) and an MA in Political Science from Washington State University. My academic background is complemented by extensive training in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. I completed the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program at the University of Michigan and the Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) Summer Institute at Emory University. Finally, at UCL I built a foundation of qualitative expertise through specialized qualitative methods courses, culminating in summer of Togolese field research.

Awards, honors and achievements

I have been awarded the following honors:

  • The Outstanding Paper Award. Political Studies Association Conference (PSA ECN)
  • H. Paul Castleberry Graduate Fellowship in International Relations. Washington State University
  • College of Arts and Sciences Master’s Student Achievement Award in Social Sciences. Washington State University
  • PPPA Graduate Student Association Graduate Student of the Year. Washington State University
  • Winston B. Thorson Memorial Scholarship. Washington State University
  • Charles H. Sheldon Graduate Fellowship. Washington State University
  • Theodore A. LeGros Graduate Fellowship. Washington State University
  • Honorary board member for Togolese youth NGO, Jeunes Artisans de la Paix et du Civisme (JAPEC)

Outside of work, I enjoy…

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and immersing myself in new cultures. Cooking is another of my favorite pastimes, as it allows me to explore diverse cuisines and share meals with friends and family. I also cherish spending time in the great outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest, particularly with my pets.

I have a deep passion for sports and proudly support all local teams. I regularly watch Spokane’s professional men’s and women’s soccer games, the AAA baseball affiliate, and the Spokane minor league hockey team, as well as all the Washington State University (WSU) college sports I can fit into my schedule. Whenever I have the opportunity to travel overseas, I make it a point to experience local sporting events, having attended many football matches across Africa in the communities where I work.