Professor Paul Vaaler Awarded Fulbright to Study, Teach in South Africa

Professor and Mooty Chair in Law & Business Paul Vaaler has won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study and teach in South Africa during the 2019-2020 academic year. Vaaler will join faculties at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Sciences and the University of Limpopo’s School of Economics and Management.

South Africa is home to millions of migrants sending back more than a billion dollars annually to other southern African countries. Vaaler’s research will investigate how governments from those other countries help migrants in South Africa stay connected and remit more money to their native lands. According to Vaaler, “South Africa is an important regional hub for migration and migrant remittances that spur entrepreneurial activity and small business-led economic growth throughout southern Africa.” Understanding how migrant engagement policies work in South Africa can provide lessons for other developing countries with substantial migrant communities located in Western Europe and North America.

Vaaler will also work with graduate students and faculty at both South African universities to help them publish more research in top-tier academic and related policy journals. “South African academics have front row seats to observe and analyze important business and legal developments on the continent. Their research reports merit more attention from the global academic community.”

Vaaler has a joint appointment with the Law School and the Carlson School of Management. He has published extensively on migrant remittances and venture investment in developing countries. “It’s an honor to be recognized for this work by the Fulbright Program. I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the migrant experience in South Africa and what it means for entrepreneurship and economic development in the region.”

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Paul Vaaler
Paul Vaaler
John and Bruce Mooty Chair in Law and Business