Bio:
I am professor of Politics and Global Studies at Drexel University, specializing in International Relations. My primary areas of research include international organizations, international finance, development and human rights.
I have published three books: on how U.N. agencies design and implement human rights policies, on the conditions of independence for international organizations, and on the rights-based approach to development. I have also published on the rights of indigenous peoples, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the meaning of “equity” among development experts, among other topics. Classes that I have taught include courses on international relations theory and practice, human rights, international organizations, and ethical issues in international affairs.
My research continues my interest in international organizations and human rights based approaches to development. My 2017 book from Oxford University Press, Development and Human Rights: Rhetoric and Reality in India, examined the link between development and human rights in India. Current research focuses on how the Universal Periodic Review process can inform U.N. development policy, and how global power shifts are changing the U.N. Secretariat.
I have been a visiting Research Scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and a visiting Teaching Fellow at the University of Abomey-Calavi, in Benin. I am chair of the International Organization Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), one of the oldest interdisciplinary associations dedicated to understanding international, transnational and global affairs. I founded and directed the “ISA at UNAI” program, which brings together ISA scholars with their counterparts at the U.N. for discussion of important issues. From 2007-2018 I served as the director of the International Area Studies/Global Studies major at Drexel.
When not teaching, reading or writing, I enjoy rowing on the Schuylkill River and am a member of the Vesper Boat Club.