James Raymond Vreeland, a Ph.D. graduate from New York University, holds the position of Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Politics. His research focuses on international political economy, particularly in the realm of international institutions, and serves on the editorial board of International Organization. His publications span various scholarly journals, such as American Political Science Review, International Organization, and Journal of Politics, showcasing his extensive contributions to academia.
As a former student in POL 396: International Organizations, I was introduced to a wide range of research on international organizations, including works by academic scholars and Professor Vreeland himself. While continuing my Research Insights Series from last spring, a series of blog posts to provide glimpses into the current research landscape at Princeton, I knew I wanted to interview Professor Vreeland. As my first politics course at Princeton, it sparked my curiosity about political science research, and more broadly, research in the social sciences.
Shannon Yeow (SY): What is your research about?
James Vreeland (JV): It’s mainly about International Organizations. My first book was on the effect of International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs on economic growth and income distribution, with my findings being that they can be detrimental to growth and exacerbate income inequality; thus, doubly hurting the least well-off in society. That was pretty technical and somewhat narrow, so my second book was a broad introduction to the IMF. My third book was on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), looking at it from a political economy perspective on how votes get bribed, which differs from the usual security perspective. The fourth book was on data reported to the World Bank, taking advantage of missing data to develop an index of how often countries report data, if at all. Along the way, I’ve written a few articles, with my next big project being on the role of China in old and new International Organizations. My work is on International Organizations, but I have methodically worked through the IMF, the World Bank, UNSC, and now, China’s role in all of these organizations.
SY: Why did you choose to research this topic? How did you become interested in this topic?
JV: My path might surprise you. My first interest in politics came from an interest in racial inequalities in the US. My father marched on Washington, and saw the I have a dream speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.. I was raised with a tremendous sensitivity to racial inequality. When I entered college, that’s what got me interested, and I was really lucky because my professor, who was Jamaican, taught me that there was an international dimension to racial inequality: some of these international institutions contribute to this racial inequality. In graduate school, my next mentor, who later became my Ph.D. adviser, had data on the IMF that I used for my project. That’s what got me on that path. Along the way, my views have become nuanced, but that’s what got me interested in the first place.
SY: What implications does your research have?
JV: A lot of my academic writing is written for fellow academics and students, so the primary impact of my work is to inform people: how these organizations work and the various relationships they have with domestic politics. I do occasionally get to connect with the general public through interviews or blog posts.
SY: What does a research-focused daily life look like for you?
JV: A good research day starts with not opening emails. You always have several papers at different stages of production. At this point, I love collaborating. If it’s at the beginning stages, I may be talking to co-authors to get ideas. I love to frame papers to have a narrative style to tell a basic story with a question and an argument. In the old days, I would crunch the numbers. Papers in the later stages will involve sharing the paper at conferences, introducing it to fellow scholars, getting feedback, and sending it off to journals for comments. I always try to have papers at every stage in the production process.
SY: If you had one thing you could share with the world, what would it be?
JV: The world is a scary place these days, and I feel bad that this generation is living in the shadows of so many problems. I would like to remind you that the world has been through hard times in the past, and out of the ashes of catastrophes have given rise to the very organizations that I study. I do remain optimistic even in these times. As dark as times appear to be these days, your futures are bright and the world will get better. You have the opportunity to shape how the world will get better, so I urge you to go forward with confidence.
Interview responses have been edited for clarity and length.
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I enjoyed interviewing Professor Vreeland, especially as this was the first non-engineering related interview of my Research Insights Series. It was refreshing to learn how political science research is conducted and the nuances in the different subject matters in the field of research. Professor Vreeland’s initial interest in racial inequality to his current work in International Organizations is a great example of how interest can lead you to research potentially unexpected topics. If you would like to gain insights in other student and faculty research, check out my other Research Insights Series articles. Wishing you the best, as always!
— Shannon Yeow, Engineering Correspondent
