Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, in partnership with the Politics/IR, International Business, and LPS departments, this event brings together an interdisciplinary panel of Drake faculty to talk about topics related to global 'development' and creating a more just, prosperous future for all the world's inhabitants. This panel asks simply, "How do we make the world better?" This question opens the door for discussion along two main avenues: first, what sets of practical policies, social arrangments, and economic configurations might be worth looking at to make the world better; and second, what courses of international, coordinated action might be taken in order to achieve those goals? The panel will rely on the panelists' expertise, as well as observations about existing international trends and institutions in their discussion.

About the Panelists:

Dr. Kieran Williams has been teaching at Drake since Spring 2004. Previously he taught at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, where he was an associate professor in politics and a frequent consultant to the UK Foreign Office. He received his A.B. from Princeton and Doctorate in Philosphy from Oxford. A comparativist and specialist in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe, he has authored or co-authored four books, including a prize-winning account of the 1968 events in Czechoslovakia, studies of the creation of new intelligence agencies and electoral systems in post-Communist countries, and a biography of the writer-statesman Vaclav Havel. He is also the co-editor of a collection of essays on Havel, a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplument, and occasional blogger on Medium.

Dr. Jeffrey A. Kappen is an Associate Professor of International Business at Drake University. Grounded primarily in institutional approaches, his research examines how socio-cultural differences are negotiated and legitimated within organizing processes. Current projects include the formation of new transnational partnerships and organizational practices across varieties of capitalism, the influence of religion on shaping industry norms and social impact, and the implications of corporate language policies. His most recent publications have explored the impact of culture and religion on insurance, financial services, and sustainability issues in emerging markets. Dr. Kappen holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Beloit College in International Relations and Modern Languages, an MBA in International Business and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in Organization Studies from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts. Before returning to academia, Dr. Kappen spent ten years working with companies from start-ups to the Fortune 100, which included over three years working and studying in Europe and South America.

Dr. Ali Malik's intellectual pursuits draw upon diverse interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological influences rooted in critical legal theory, anthropology, geography, and postcolonial studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Socio-legal Studies from York University, awarded in 2022. His current research focuses on the introduction of big data technologies in Indian agriculture, as part of a broader project that explores the historical and future intersections between international law, technology, and capitalism in the Global South.

Dr. Leanne Purdum has a PhD in Geography from the University of Georgia, specializing in critical legal geography. As a scholar she is broadly interested in law and power, with a focus on US immigration policing and critical approaches to humanitarianism. Her dissertation research stems from volunteer work as a legal advocate in the South Texas Family Residential Center, a “family” detention center in Dilley, Texas. Her teaching starts with a curiosity about the socio-legal world, and urges students to connect theoretical texts to everyday experiences of personal interest. She was a 2018 Future Faculty Fellow at the University of Georgia Graduate School and the Center for Teaching and Learning, and she has completed the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in University Teaching from the UGA Graduate School.