Dr Ilias Alami
Small Group Project 2022-23
Raced Finance: The Color of Money at the Financial Frontier
With Vincent Guermond & Ali Bhagat
This project aims to examine the racialized features and outcomes of global finance. While contemporary global development agendas continue to portray finance, credit, and entrepreneurship as key strategies for economic growth and poverty reduction, the social realities of these development-led priority areas surrounding racial inequality have been unexplored.
More informationResearch outcomes
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Alami, I., Bhagat, A., & Guermond, V. (2026).
Toward an IPE of raced finance. Review of International Political Economy, 1–34.
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Alami, I., Alves, C., Bonizzi, B., Kaltenbrunner, A., Koddenbrock, K., Kvangraven, I. H., & Powell, J. (2022).
International financial subordination: a critical research agenda. Review of International Political Economy, 30(4), 1360–1386.
Areas of interest
Cohort
Biography
Dr Ilias Alami is University Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development in the Centre of Development Studies and in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is also the Director of the PhD programme in Development Studies.
Ilias writes about state capitalism, geopolitics, global development, the green transition, global finance, and racial capitalism.
Ilias is a fellow of the Transition Security Project, a member of the Second Cold War Observatory, a member of Common Wealth's Green Planning Commission, and an editor of the journal Economy and Society. He’s authored 2 books, more than 50 academic articles and book chapters, and dozens of op-eds and magazine articles.
His work has featured in, or was discussed in, the Financial Times, The Guardian, Bloomberg, El País, Mediapart, Phenomenal World, Project Syndicate, and other news outlets.
Ilias writes about state capitalism, geopolitics, global development, the green transition, global finance, and racial capitalism.
Ilias is a fellow of the Transition Security Project, a member of the Second Cold War Observatory, a member of Common Wealth's Green Planning Commission, and an editor of the journal Economy and Society. He’s authored 2 books, more than 50 academic articles and book chapters, and dozens of op-eds and magazine articles.
His work has featured in, or was discussed in, the Financial Times, The Guardian, Bloomberg, El País, Mediapart, Phenomenal World, Project Syndicate, and other news outlets.
Biographical details correct as of 13.05.26