Pablo Balán is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Government at Harvard University, specializing in the political economy of developing countries, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. His research documents how informal institutions shape the adoption of land property rights in sub-Saharan Africa and how they can be harnessed to strengthen state-building in low-capacity settings. A second stream of research studies the political role of families in various contexts, from promoting electoral accountability to facilitating political action within firms.