Michael Ickowitz completed the MA degree in summer 2020 with concentration in political economy at The University of Tennessee. Originally from New York City, he holds a B.A. in Communication from George Mason University and an M.S. in College Student Personnel from The University of Tennessee, where his research was focused on building capacity in the higher education system of Uganda. Michael’s professional experience and interests are in the areas of international education and the development, management, and evaluation of international scientific workforce development programs.
Michael’s research was focused on government investments in the development of future scientific workforce and innovation capacities, and the measurable relationship between these investments and the resulting economic and societal impacts. His first research project, “A study of Innovation capacity indicators, personal freedoms, and GDP Growth Rates,” was accepted for presentation at the Higher School of Economics Laboratory for Comparative Social Research in Moscow, Russia, resulting in an invitation to become an associate researcher of the laboratory.
Michael’s research is grounded in the theoretical traditions and critiques of classics of sociology such as Max Weber and Karl Marx, and in more contemporary contributions relating to Immanuel Wallerstein’s world systems analysis, George Caspar Homans’ rational choice theory, Amartya Kumar Sen’s work in social choice theory, and economic sociology.