Katherine Beall
Visiting Lecturer in 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.
Current and upcoming courses
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.