Barnaby is a political economist whose research lies at the intersection of infrastructure in Africa and the so-called Rising Southern Powers, especially India and Brazil. This involves analysing international policymaking, tracing decisions about finance and diplomacy in global cities like Washington DC and Delhi, to national economic planning and then to individual infrastructure projects and the impacts they have on economies, people and the environment. This interest grew from reading Geography at the University of Cambridge, completing a master’s at King’s College London and then a doctorate in politics at the University of Oxford. He studied the resurgence of dam building in Africa, examining its international roots, national-level decision making and local impacts.

Barnaby joined the Department of International Development in 2024 and is a member of the India & South Asia Analysts Network. He has given numerous radio interviews and makes regular contributions to popular publications such as The Diplomat and The Conversation. Amongst his academic outputs are articles with New Political Economy, African Affairs and Energy Research and Social Science. Currently Dr Dye's current focus is a book manuscript with Oxford University Press.

Research

• Indian Foreign Policy; Indian development cooperation; India-Africa relations;
• South-South Relations; China, Brazil and India in Africa;
• Political economy of infrastructure and electricity;
• Dams and hydropower;
• Ideologies of development, modernisation ideas;
• Political economy and political ecology - Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia.

Barnaby’s research has focused on an infrastructure boom in Africa, tracing this to a set of international drivers but also trends in national policymaking. Through this research, Barnaby has analysed the evolution of development ideologies, the subject of his current monograph.

Barnaby’s current research pursues two interconnected strands. The first concerns Indian foreign policy, particularly its relations with Africa and the Global South. Barnaby analyses how these fit Delhi’s broader strategic and foreign policy objectives, comparing India to China, Brazil and others. He also analyses India’s international development cooperation and how this is evolving. The second strand focuses on the political economy of electricity, focusing on the strategic and ideological drivers behind planning decisions. This includes publications on Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda, with future research focused on the green transition, its drivers, blockers and social outcomes.

Teaching

• Democracy and Development
• Project Management in International Development (Undergraduate and Post-Graduate)

PhD supervision

Barnaby is open to supervise PhD students on below topics:

• Indian and Brazilian foreign policy 'Rising powers' as development donors;
• Africa's international relations;
• Political economy in Africa;
• Politics of infrastructure and the green transition;
• Research on Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia.

Further Details

• Website
• Bluesky
• Publications