Lauren Barden Hair

I am a UC Berkeley PhD candidate studying international relations and comparative politics.

My research investigates the complex dynamics of state and non-state interactions in global politics, focusing on how economic, cultural, and covert mechanisms facilitate state geopolitical influence. Drawing on literatures from international security, political economy and economic sociology, I explore how states leverage indirect tools—such as corporate instrumentalization for global security objectives and support for foreign rebel groups —to advance their strategic interests. My work uses rigorous mixed-methods analyses, including case studies, archival research and original quantitative data. My work also includes fieldwork in Taiwan, a country where I have previously lived and hold extensive cultural and academic experience. By addressing under-explored and pressing contemporary issues, my projects offer theoretically grounded and policy-relevant insights to the fields of international security, international political economy and comparative politics, with a regional emphasis on China.