Subfield Coordinator: Susan Hyde
International Relations at Berkeley focuses on the study of contemporary and historical problems in world politics, including international security, international political economy, and global governance.
Current research explores the dynamics of conflict and cooperation among states and non-state actors, the causes and consequences of war and peace, and the political economy of globalization. Faculty examine how domestic politics, institutions, and public opinion shape international behavior; the evolving role of great powers and international organizations; and the politics of security, information, and emerging technologies. Our work also addresses democracy and authoritarianism in the international system, global inequality and development, climate and environmental politics, the intersection of business and governance, and the influence of ideas, identities, and transnational movements on world politics.
A core part of our intellectual community is the MIRTH seminar, which brings together faculty and students for weekly discussions of work in progress by internal and visiting scholars. We also host workshops—such as those at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics—and our research is supported by centers across campus, including the Institute for International Studies (IIS), the Berkeley Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Study Center (BASC), and the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE), among others.
Our methodological approaches are pluralistic and include socio-historical analysis, large-N quantitative methods, lab, survey, and field experiments, neuroimaging, and formal modeling. Our work is often interdisciplinary, drawing from economics, psychology, sociology, and history. We value research that takes theory seriously, employs rigorous methods, and addresses pressing global challenges. Our overarching goal is to deepen understanding of how international politics is organized and how it functions around the substantive issues that shape the world today.
