Within the field of global and transnational sociology, my research focuses on international migration, human rights, and social movements.  I am particularly interested in understanding the factors that shape variations—both within and across countries—in the degrees to which protections and rights are conferred to globally itinerant populations.  The explanations for such variations are complex, varying by group, country, time period, and type of protection, and involving the interaction of a myriad of political, economic, social, cultural, and historical factors—both at the domestic and global levels, and across time.  Itinerant persons themselves also play an important role in asserting and claiming rights, and the trajectories of history are also important to factor in, as they have shaped the very global power structure of the world in which all of us are embedded.    

The Crucial Interactions Between National Interests and International Normative Pressures in Shaping Policy Outcomes

Because countries (and their governments) have—for the most part—the final say in how they want to run things within their borders, it is tempting to assume that their behaviors and policies are shaped within a domestic vacuum—void of any significant influence from other countries or international society.  But is this really the case?  How, and to what extent, do factors external to a country matter in shaping its policies, including those that affect the protections and rights conferred to itinerant populations—most of whom are foreign nationals?   

For instance, do international norms—globally-shared expectations about appropriate behaviors by countries or people—matter?  While not legally binding, these norms are often unwritten rules and standards that carry significant moral and political weight, shaping interactions among countries and international organizations, and influencing countries’ policies and people’s mindsets.  I argue that there is merit to investigating the extent to which external factors such as international norms (in)directly affect the degree to which protections are conferred to various globally itinerant populations.

My research utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods. I perform comparative statistical analyses using country data, and to gauge the effects of international norms on countries’ behaviors and policies, I incorporate variables such as number (and timing) of ratifications of international human rights instruments and measures of a society’s cultural embeddedness in global society.  But cross-national statistical analyses can only paint with a broad brush over a much more complex and nuanced underlying reality; so if an interesting finding emerges, a more in-depth analysis using qualitative methods is necessary. 

What Surprising Similarities across Diverse Countries Suggest

Influenced by the World Society Theory literature, my research argues that both domestic factors and global factors such as international norms play pivotal roles in shaping countries’ policies.  In fact, despite the incredible diversity that exists across countries, there are striking similarities in the basic blueprints of their social systems and policies that can only be explained by the existence of an overarching global blueprint, or normative global culture, that shapes countries’ and individuals’ understandings of appropriate and desirable behavior. 

Understanding the mechanisms through which this global culture influences domestic policies is crucial to gaining a more comprehensive understanding of countries’ treatments of various itinerant populations.  Through this knowledge, I hope my research can offer insights that will assist political actors, members of civil society, and itinerant persons figure out the best course(s) of action that will maximize gains for all that are involved. 

The book I recommend

“The Elementary Forms of Religious Life”
By Émile Durkheim, published by The Free Press

In this book, Durkheim—a “founding father” of the discipline of sociology—analyzes the formation and impact of religion in society. When I read this book as a sophomore in college, I had a eureka moment, realizing the deep interrelationships between social phenomena and individual behaviors. This sociological insight helped me put my own personal experiences into social perspective, and profoundly helped me make sense of many things in life and society. 

Interviewed: May 2024