Heather Ba
My research interests include international political economy, US foreign policy, and the American presidency. A preoccupation with the causes and consequences of power, and a mild obsession with explaining socio-political phenomena in terms of the interaction between social structures and individual human agency are the two threads that weave together my research on these various topics. I think the greatest hope for accomplishing explanations of socio-political phenomena that shed light on the interaction between individual agency and social structure lies in the application of new and innovative quantitative methods of analysis, especially network analysis and text analysis. I employ such methods in my research.
Within international political economy, my research focuses on the international systemic causes of financial crises, as well as the international politics of global finance, and the role of credit and debt as a dimension of countries' structural and financial power.
My research on US foreign policy examines the linkages between international relations theory and the conduct of US foreign policy, as well as US foreign policy crisis management, and the role of presidential advisory systems in US foreign policy decision making.
Finally, my work with The White House Transition Project examines the politics of executive appointments, the determinants of presidential routine during the first 100 days of an administration, and presidential behavior during foreign policy crises.
