Govt. Dept. Tenures African Specialist

In what professors hail as one of the most important appointments of the University this year, Duke professor Robert H. Bates accepted a tenured position in the government department on Wednesday.

Bates, one of the foremost scholars of the political economy of developing countries and a leading specialist in African politics and economics, will join the Harvard's faculty in September 1994.

His arrival, professors say, will not only immensely enhance the field of political economy in the government department but will also help make Harvard the leading center for African studies in the country.

"It's a true coup," said Government Department Chair Susan J. Pharr. "He's one of the world's leading experts on third world development issues and African politics and a superb teache. He will bring great strength to the government department."

"Bates will add immeasurably to the strengths of the Center for Research of African Studies and the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID)," said Pharr. "He will bring together the HIID and the FAS as well as the government and economics departments."

Bates, who has completed extensive field work in Africa, has been a long-time scholar of the economic development of Africa.

"He's a very distinguished Africanist and a wonderful scholar and person," said DuBois Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. "It's a wonderful appointment."

Bates's work has included exploring the causes for the lagging economic development of African countries and the influence of political institutions on their economic failures.

"He has described that the impoverishment of Africa could not be attributed to poor national resources ... but to political institutions," said Professor of Government Kenneth A. Shepsle.

Bates is also a scholar of economic development in other countries in Latin America, East Asia and Western Europe, Pharr said.

"His interest in Africa and Latin America stems from his interest in the politics and economics of agriculture," said Shepsle. "When you talk about the political economy of development, you talk about the political economy of the third world."

And other professors say that Bates' work in the theoretical field of political economy has also been extremely infuential.

"In my field of political economy of development, he is the most highly respected scholar and has influenced a lot of us," said Assistant Professor of Government Ashutosh Varshney, who teaches a junior seminar on the political economy of development. "His presence in the department would benefit a lot of us in the field."

Professors say Bates has been in great demand by several universities around the country and that the government department is very pleased to have wooed him away from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was also offered a post.

"We've had our eye on him for the last couple of years," said Shepsle.

Bates is the author of several books including The Political Economy of Development.

Bates could not be reached for comment last night

"We've had our eye on him for the last couple of years," said Shepsle.

Bates is the author of several books including The Political Economy of Development.

Bates could not be reached for comment last night