dissertation research
My dissertation focuses on the criminalization of bribery in international business and the effort to curb corruption globally by stifling its supply. Some of the world’s most well known global corporations have admitted to paying sizable bribes to government officials of foreign states to secure business advantages. These payments not only violate principles of clean business and fair competition but can also impede effective governance and public goods provision in some of the world’s poorest countries.
My research examines efforts to curtail these illicit business practices and international legal obligations on states to criminalize the payment of bribes to foreign government officials. Focusing on countries that are leading exporters and sources of foreign investment, and run real risks of encountering bribery in international business, my research has included extensive archival analysis at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and dozens of semi-structured interviews with anti-corruption lawyers, prosecutors, and law-makers in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. My research finds that while international law has succeeded in propelling parallel law reforms—such that bribery in international business is now a criminal offense in many parts of the globe—states have diverged markedly in the enforcement of these prohibitions and in their underlying normative justification.
My research examines efforts to curtail these illicit business practices and international legal obligations on states to criminalize the payment of bribes to foreign government officials. Focusing on countries that are leading exporters and sources of foreign investment, and run real risks of encountering bribery in international business, my research has included extensive archival analysis at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and dozens of semi-structured interviews with anti-corruption lawyers, prosecutors, and law-makers in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. My research finds that while international law has succeeded in propelling parallel law reforms—such that bribery in international business is now a criminal offense in many parts of the globe—states have diverged markedly in the enforcement of these prohibitions and in their underlying normative justification.
Papers and presentations
Findings from my dissertation have been published by the OECD in "The Power of Procurement in the Fight Against Foreign Bribery,” and are further detailed in my paper “International Law and Domestic Legal Orders: The Translation of Anti-Foreign Bribery Law,” which I am currently preparing for journal submission.
In addition to my dissertation research, I have also conducted a cross-national comparison of court decisions in advancing same-sex relationship rights and abortion rights in Canada, Germany, and the United States. The findings are reflected in the paper, “Constrained Courts: Law and Social Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies” (co-authored with Whitney Taylor), which is under review.
I am an active participant in both political science and law conferences and have presented papers at the American Political Science Association Annual Conference (2016, 2017), the American International Law Association Mid-Year Conference (2017), the Canadian Political Science Association Conference (2017), the International Society for Public Law Annual Conference (2017), the Socio-Legal Association Annual Conference (2015), and the Law and Society Association Annual Conference (2015).
I have also written book reviews of Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations, Private Standards and Global Governance, and Rethinking Private Authority: Agents and Entrepreneurs.
In addition to my dissertation research, I have also conducted a cross-national comparison of court decisions in advancing same-sex relationship rights and abortion rights in Canada, Germany, and the United States. The findings are reflected in the paper, “Constrained Courts: Law and Social Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies” (co-authored with Whitney Taylor), which is under review.
I am an active participant in both political science and law conferences and have presented papers at the American Political Science Association Annual Conference (2016, 2017), the American International Law Association Mid-Year Conference (2017), the Canadian Political Science Association Conference (2017), the International Society for Public Law Annual Conference (2017), the Socio-Legal Association Annual Conference (2015), and the Law and Society Association Annual Conference (2015).
I have also written book reviews of Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations, Private Standards and Global Governance, and Rethinking Private Authority: Agents and Entrepreneurs.