Youssef Mnaili
Main profile
Youssef is currently a Research Associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER). A former Eiffel Excellency Scholar, he holds a PhD in Political Science from the European University Institute (Florence, Italy). He previously studied at the International University of Rabat, Cardiff University, FLACSO Buenos Aires, and Sciences Po Grenoble. He was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at Central European University (CEU) and a GLD Fellow at the University of Gothenburg. His work engages theoretically with state–society relationships, indirect governance theory, and political economy. Empirically, his research focuses on the Middle East and Africa. At WISER, he works on and teaches topics related to indirect governance, delegation, and agency problems. His research has been published in leading journals, including The Review of International Organization and Politics & Society. He is the author of Israel's Occupation of the West Bank: Indirect Governance, Settlers and Violence (I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury Academic, forthcoming), and the editor of two forthcoming books, Indirect Governance and Power Dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa (Edinburgh University Press, 2026) and Between State and Society: Mediating Power in Africa (Amsterdam University Press/ Central European University Press, 2026). He also serves as Editor of the journal Settler Colonial Studies. He has previously taught at the European University Institute, the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and Wits Politics.