2025, June 17
Share this articleProfessor Riccardo Pelizzo, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Nazarbayev University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, has been recognized as one of the world’s leading governance scholars.
According to the 2024 ScholarGPS, he ranks among the top 0.5% of researchers globally. This distinction reflects the significant depth of his publication record, scholarly impact, and contributions to understanding political development and institutional reform. Among more than 30 million academics evaluated by ScholarGPS, Dr. Pelizzo stands out as a leading expert in the field of governance.
The ScholarGPS ranking assesses a scholar’s productivity (number of publications), impact (citations), and quality (h-index). This evaluation draws upon a vast database of over 30 million scholar profiles and 200 million publications, ensuring a comprehensive and trustworthy measure of global scientific influence.
Dr. Riccardo Pelizzo is also ranked among the top 1% of scholars in Kazakhstan based on his i-10 index over the past six years. He is widely recognized for his expertise in governance, and before joining Nazarbayev University, he led analytical initiatives as a Senior Consultant and Research Advisor at the World Bank. His current work focuses on strengthening institutions and improving the stability and quality of governance in developing countries.
Professor Pelizzo is developing diagnostic models to enable more accurate assessments of political processes. His extensive portfolio of publications, which includes articles in leading journals and policy reports, has been translated into 11 languages, reflecting the depth of his scholarship and his strong commitment to strengthening institutions worldwide.
It is also worth noting that 35 Nazarbayev University professors are among the world’s top 2% most-cited researchers, according to a ranking by Stanford University based on Scopus data encompassing over 180,000 leading academics.
