Rosalind’s thesis examines the paradox of economic growth and violence: Why is there economic growth despite conflict? Conversely, why is there conflict despite economic growth? It does so in three separate papers, two of which feature in-depth comparative case studies from the African Great Lakes region. This research is motivated by the critical need to understand how the mechanisms of economic growth interact with those of political violence in fragile and conflict-affected countries. It intends to furnish concrete insights for both public and private sector actors operating in these contexts.
Rosalind Tan is a doctoral researcher in International Relations and Political Science at the Geneva Graduate Institute, specialising in the intersection between economic development and political violence in fragile states. Her research expertise includes emerging and developing markets, economic resilience, and the political economy of conflict-affected geographies.
She worked as a researcher on the SNSF PRIMA project “A child of its time: the impact of world politics on peacebuilding” at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, focusing on the case of South Sudan. The goal of this timely research was to understand the impact of shifting world politics on peacebuilding and development initiatives.
She has experience as an investor, consultant, and researcher in emerging and developing markets. In 2019, she established Axios Partners, a collective of advisors and consultants who offer fundraising support, operational guidance, and transaction structuring services for startups, SMEs and investment firms in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy & Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Rosalind has worked for a decade in venture capital and innovative finance in emerging and developing markets. Her doctoral research aims at addressing key knowledge gaps in the fields of impact investing and development finance.
She was an early advocate for the emergent field of peace finance, a subset of impact investing that emphasizes the peace-supporting impact of investments in fragile and conflict-affected contexts (Sustainable Development Goal 16). She is a member of the Business & Conflict Community of Practice in Geneva and a Venture Investment Advisor to the Peace Dividend Initiative.