Katherine Beall

Visiting Lecturer in Political Science

Contact
Email:
kb115@wellesley.edu
Department
Political Science

Links

I am a 2022-2023 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

My book project examines the decision by leaders in some regions of the Global South to delegate authority to enforce human rights to their regional organizations. I argue that they did so in order to maintain self-determination over international rules, especially in response to economic pressure from powerful, Western states. My broader research focuses on human rights, development, intervention, and the politics of conditions on development assistance.

You can read more about my research and view publications and working papers here.

Previously, I completed a Master’s degree in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University, and I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas. I also spent time working at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Stockholm Policy Group, and the U.S. Embassy in Croatia.

Education

  • B.A., University of Kansas
  • M.A., Columbia University in the City of New York
  • Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley

Current and upcoming courses

African Regional Governance

POL3395

Compared to other regions of the world, Africa has an especially large number of regional intergovernmental organizations. Why have African governments created so many of these organizations, and how do they use them? To address these questions, this class will take a close look at the history, development, transformation, and current dynamics of regional governance in Africa. We will explore the early emergence of regional and “pan-African” cooperation and solidarity, before turning to more recent developments in regional governance. These recent developments include the use of regional organizations to address an ever-expanding number of issues, such as human rights, democracy promotion, environmental governance and climate change, civil conflict, and economic development. Throughout this course, we will also consider the important role and impact of civil society and NGOs and the role of African regional organizations as representatives of Africa within global institutions like the United Nations. Questions that will be addressed include: What, if anything, is distinctive about African approaches to regional governance? Why have regional organizations formed such an important part of the foreign policy of African governments?
More Info

  • Approaches to International Law

    POL3399

    What is international law and how does it work? This class will explore international law from a range of different perspectives. A significant part of the course will be spent learning the basics of traditional approaches to international law, including how international law is different from domestic law and how (or whether) it can function given the lack of an enforcement authority. We will then consider a number of critiques of international law, including those that point to the centrality of coercion, power, and hierarchy in the functioning of international law. In considering these different perspectives, we will explore ways international law has worked to advantage or disadvantage different actors, including individuals, civil society, and states with less material power.  

  • Seminar: The Politics of Global Inequality

    POL3390

    What are the causes of and solutions to global inequality? Who or what is responsible for inequality? Why should we even think of global inequality as a problem? In this course, we will consider a range of perspectives on and answers to these questions. A major focus will be on why these questions have proven to be so contentious, particularly in debates between the Global North and Global South. We will cover different theories of global inequality in international political economy and explore how inequality manifests across different issue areas, including security, climate change, health, and gender equality. We will also survey a range of approaches to addressing inequality in international organizations, international advocacy campaigns, and using the framework of human rights. Specific campaigns that will be covered include the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, Oxfam’s Inequality Kills campaign, and the Caribbean campaign for international slavery reparations. Throughout, we will consider how ideas impact policymaking and the political consequences of framing economic issues as a problem of inequality versus a problem of poverty or lack of development.

  • World Politics

    POL3221

    An introduction to the international system with emphasis on contemporary theory and practice. Analysis of the bases of power and influence, the sources of tension and conflict, and the modes of accommodation and conflict resolution. This course serves as an introduction to the international relations subfield in the political science department, and also as a means of fulfilling the political science core requirement of the international relations major.