Seung Deok Seo
Ph.D. Student
Department of Political Science
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
I am a Ph.D. student in Political Science (Comparative Politics) at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. My research focuses on how foreign aid shapes political incentives and organizational behavior within civil society. In my dissertation, I examine the conditions under which NGOs cooperate or compete in aid-dependent environments, emphasizing organizational identity as a key mechanism shaping these relations.
Focusing on Jordan, my dissertation employs a mixed-methods approach—combining network analysis, surveys, experiments, and qualitative interviews—to examine the mechanisms shaping inter-NGO relations. This work has been supported by the Institute for Humane Studies, the University of Illinois Graduate College, the Department of Political Science, and the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity.
Education
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Ph.D. in Political Science (Comparative Politics)
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (Expected 2027–2028) -
M.Sc. in Development Studies
London School of Economics and Political Science -
B.A. in Arabic Interpretation and Translation
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Working Papers
- Beyond Economic and Political Motives: Exploring the Religious Dynamics in Gulf States’ Foreign Aid Allocation (with Paul Un)
Grants & Fellowships
- Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), Admitted Participant (Summer 2026)
- Humane Studies Fellowship, Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) (2026)
- Evelyne Accad and Paul Vieille Research Award (2026)
- Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grant (2025–26)
- Graduate Research and Professionalization Fund (2025–26)
- Illinois Global Institute Language Fellowship in Arabic (2024–25)
Professional & Field Experience
- UN Women — Palestine Country Office
- Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) — Iraq Country Office
- Regional Experience (Training & Study Abroad) — Egypt; Jordan; Israel; Tunisia
Contact
Email: sdseo2@illinois.edu
CV: CV (PDF)
Outside of research, I enjoy photography. Below are selected photographs from my time living in the Middle East.