And this article by @soyounglee.bsky.social in @iojournal.bsky.social "The presence of capitalintensive resources-such as oil or minerals-raises concerns about how the benefits of acquiring the territory would be distributed within the nation." www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest SOYOUNG LEE Yale University, United States, and Duke University, United States What international issues become national interests worth fighting for, and why? Contrary to conventional wisdom, I argue that issues without clear economic value, such as barren lands, are more likely to be perceived as national interests because they do not benefit any single domestic group. Since who benefits is unclear, politicians have an easier time framing such issues as benefiting the whole nation. I test this argument using survey experiments on the American public. The results show that first, issues providing diffuse benefits to citizens are more likely to be considered national interests than issues providing concentrated benefits to certain domestic groups. Second, issues with clearer economic value are harder to frame as having diffuse benefits because they are more easily associated with specific beneficiaries. This study proposes a new theory of national interest and offers a potential explanation for why people frequently support conflict over issues without obvious benefits.

Apropos current events, I want to tout this paper by @soyounglee.bsky.social showing that discussion of economic benefits can reduce public support for military action. People are skeptical when they think specific groups (e.g., oil companies) will benefit.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

How does transparency affect the behavior of international bureaucrats tasked with facilitating negotiations? In new work with Sojun Park in the Review of International Organizations (doi.org/10.1007/s115..., it’s open access!), we provide an answer in the context of the WTO.

Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest By Soyoung Lee, Yale University and Duke University. What international issues become national interests worth fighting for, and why? Contrary to conventional wisdom, I argue that issues without clear economic value, such as barren lands, are more likely to be perceived as national interests because they do not benefit any single domestic group.

Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest

Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest By Soyoung Lee, Yale University and Duke University. What international issues become national interests worth fighting for, and why? Contrary to conventional wisdom, I argue that issues without…

Interested in a social science Ph.D.? Apply to be a full time Predoctoral Fellow at Yale doing research on China's domestic and foreign politics! Starts on July 1. Link: tobin.yale.edu/opportunitie...

2. Soyoung Lee, Resources and Territorial Claims: Domestic Opposition to Resource-Rich Territory

Congrats!

Thank you @dandrezner.bsky.social for the 2024 Albies shoutout! It's a great honor to be included alongside all the other amazing articles.

And link to the paper for anyone interested: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Thank you!

Now out with an official issue number!

So frustrating 😡

Thank you! 😊

Congratulations to @soyounglee.bsky.social for BEST dissertation award at Peace Science!

Thanks so much for the kind words, and hope you’re doing well!

🥳 My paper is out @iojournal.bsky.social!
Two main empirical takeaways:

1. States often don't fight over lands with resources, even when they can claim it for historical reasons.

2. Historical boundaries matter in how states shape their territorial claims.

For more, abstract and paper below!

Congratulations!! 🥳🥳

Weary professors give up, concede that Africa is a country As of April 1, we’re done.

Happy 8th anniversary to the best April Fool's joke @dadakim.bsky.social & I ever pulled off!

Really interesting question! I'm wondering if there's some efficiency element baked into the distinction? As in, "successful coordination" is a subset of path-dependencies that are efficient/ optimal (Ex. meeting in the Central station is successful coordination but Qwerty is path-dependent? 🤷‍♀️)

Thanks, Eun A!

Thanks for the shoutout, and for your helpful comments that made the paper much better!

Thank you!

🥳Yay, this paper's now officially out!

Available open access👇
cup.org/3GTQ99X

#polisky, intsec, nationalisky

Oh wow. That sounds even more serious

Is it difficult as in the government won’t let you ask them or as in people won’t answer? If it’s the latter I feel like it’s happening in South Korea too 🙁

Congrats, Hakeem! Really love the paper!

Very cool!!

Thanks for making it happen! Wouldn’t have been possible without your work

Thanks for the shoutout! (Your book helped a lot with the project!)

Thanks, Hakeem. Missing our hallway chats!

I’d love to be added, thank you! @harrismylonas.bsky.social

TV monitor with photo of Cleo and text "Villanova Department of Economics Seminar Series"

so grateful for the opportunity to present my work on greening foreign aid at Villanova today! thank you to Christopher Kilby and the economics department for the warm welcome and excellent comments!

check out the paper here if interested: cobrienudry.github.io/files/o'brien-udry_JMP.pdf