Most aspects of transnational relations and many aspects of domestic law are the subject of international treaties. However, many of these agreements are not well adopted, leaving these aspects nominally covered in international law, but unprotected in practice. My research focus is on the limitations of international treaties to understand why some treaties are widely adopted while others are not. In my dissertation I explore this topic by using a quantitative analysis of over 100 treaties and qualitative chapters that evaluate international agreements in the United Nations and the International Labor Organization.
My work with Heather McKibben evaluates how states modify the commitments they make by using reservations, again weakening the strength of international agreements.
Peer Reviewed Papers
2016. "Why Migrant Rights are Different than Human Rights." in Gary Freeman and Nikola Mirilovic (eds), Handbook of Migration and Social Policy. Edward Elgar Press (with Jean- nette Money and Sarah Lockhart).
2014. “Levels of Linkage: Across-Agreement v. Within-Agreement Explanations of Consensus Formation Among States” International Studies Quarterly. 58 (1). (with Heather McKibben).
Works in Progress
Reservations about Reservations? Indicators, Incentives, and Transnational Crime Hollow Committments
How Do We Make a Reservation? The Type of Reservations States Enter on Human Rights Treaties? (with Heather McKibben). Alienable Rights: When Will States Adopt International Laws Protecting Voluntary Migrants? (with Jeannette Money and Sarah Lockhart) Comparative Citizenship Policies (with Jeannette Money and Edith Yuh)