Global and International Studies Building, 3071
Brian Frantz is a Professor of Practice in the Department of International Studies at Indiana University. He had a 25-year career as an international development and national security professional with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), retiring as a Senior Foreign Service Officer. He served in East Timor, Rwanda, Malawi, Kenya (where he oversaw the Somalia program), and Washington, DC. From January-September 2025, he was USAID’s last (Acting) Assistant Administrator for Africa. Prior to joining USAID, Brian worked on trade and regional integration at the Inter-American Development Bank and grew up in Brazil. He currently serves on the Board of GAIA Global Health, an NGO that provides "last mile" health service delivery to remote communities in Malawi.
Educational Background
- M.Sc., National Security Strategy, National War College, 2023
- M.A., International Development Studies, George Washington University, 2000
- B.A., Economics and International Studies, Northwestern University, 1998
Regions of Interest
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Latin America
- East Asia
Research Topics
- The Future Development Professional
- Development Effectiveness
- African Political Economy
Selected Publications
- “Stop pretending USAID’s take-down was about doing development better.”Devex, 9 March 2026.
- “3 things we have lost with the dissolution of USAID.”Devex, 12 November 2025.
- “Supporting the Decentralized Delivery of Health Services: USAID and the District Basket in Zambia” (co-authored with Herrick Mpuku and Jason Wright). Lusaka: USAID, July 2004.
- “General Budget Support in Tanzania: A Snapshot of Its Effectiveness.” Dar es Salaam: USAID, April 2004.
- Regional Public Goods: From Theory to Practice (co-edited with Antoni Estevadeordal and Tam Robert Nguyen). Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2004.
- “The Rise and Fall of World Trade, 1870-1939” (co-authored with Antoni Estevadeordal and Alan M. Taylor). Quarterly Journal of Economics 118, no. 2 (May 2023): 359-407.