A change in tariff policy. A shift in trade relations. A wave of public protests in a region long considered stable. At first glance, these events may seem unrelated. But taken together, they reflect a world shaped by the complex ways countries interact through trade, diplomacy, and sometimes conflict. 

WashU’s Department of Political Science has spent years decoding these global dynamics, assembling a team of scholars who pair deep subject-matter expertise with rigorous, data-driven methods to address the pressing issues of our time. 

In recent years, the department has expanded its ranks with top international relations scholars specializing in conflict, security, and international political economy, tackling issues including trade and public health. This includes hiring field-leading scholars trained to analyze China — America’s most formidable global competitor — using advanced quantitative methods. 

“What sets the WashU international relations group apart is its focus on methods and measurement,” said Betsy Sinclair, department chair and the Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science. This mission is more important than ever, she added, in an increasingly partisan world. “Our commitment to rigorous science, regardless of the findings, allows for recommendations to policymakers grounded in evidence, not wishful thinking.”

The Psychology of Conflict

Global conflict isn’t just about armies and alliances; it’s also about fear, identity, and human behavior.

Carly Wayne, an associate professor of political science, brings deep regional expertise to today’s global landscape. While much of her work focuses on conflict in the Middle East, her insights reach far beyond the region, offering broader lessons on violence, emotions, and political behavior in times of crisis.

Wayne studies the political psychology of conflict, exploring how feelings and thoughts shape behavior when it comes to war and violence. In a recent study, she had subjects complete decision-making tasks in a group setting meant to mirror the feedback loops in a foreign policy crisis. Conventional wisdom dictates that group discussions will lead to better decisions and less bias than if people were acting on their own, but Wayne and her co-authors found that was not the case. In fact, people were actually less likely to change their minds when they were part of a group than when they were on their own.

“My research reveals the limits of reason in shaping foreign policy decisions, whether by ordinary citizens or national leaders,” Wayne said. “It shows how identity, emotion, and cognitive bias distort our thinking. When the stakes are life and death, bombs and blood, it’s troubling to see just how far we fall short of a rationalist perspective.”

David Carter, a professor of political science, takes a distinct approach to studying conflict, focusing on disputes and instability along national borders, issues that play a central part in contemporary international relations. As a member of the Trust and Public Health research cluster, part of Arts & Sciences’ Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures, Carter brings an international relations lens to global health. State actors play a key role in population well-being, instituting mandates and guidelines that target behaviors and encourage the treatment of medical conditions. Implementation of crucial, government-sponsored initiatives depends on the public’s belief that the state is trustworthy and has their best interest in mind — positioning trust in government as a central determinant of public health.

The Price of Trade

While images of war may dominate headlines, international economics is now a significant driver of global politics and a factor in our everyday lives.

Amy Pond, an associate professor of political science, studies global economic forces that have increasingly become kitchen-table issues for American families. Her research, co-authored with colleague and associate professor Timm Betz, reveals how big corporations operate across borders, how governments protect business interests, and how trade policies influence the broader economy, all of which have become more visible to the public in recent years.

A key focus of Pond’s research is market concentration, which is when a few large companies dominate an industry. Concentration affects both economics and politics. Ironically, she said, the biggest firms may need fewer legal protections from the government because their size gives them political power.

This dynamic helps explain debates around tech giants like Google and Meta. Pond said support for antitrust action has grown across party lines in the U.S., although with admittedly different concerns. Democrats worry about political influence; Republicans, though generally supportive of antitrust measures, question whether firms are being unfairly penalized for their success.

Pond also studies the toll of political uncertainty. For years, most Americans paid little attention to trade or inflation. That’s changing. “People are getting a better sense of how this stuff works,” she said, as terms like “strong dollar” and “weak dollar” move from academia into everyday conversation.

Historically, scholars believed democracies avoided tariffs because they were a visible tax on the economy. Now, tariffs are often framed by politicians as fair responses to global trade. If fully enacted, Pond said, they would raise prices and function like a tax on consumers. Her research suggests that when Americans feel these costs, they’ll respond at the polls. “Economic voting” is one of political science’s strongest patterns: When the economy suffers, Pond said, voters punish elected officials.

Data and Power

As China’s global influence grows, understanding the country’s internal policies and international ambitions has never been more urgent — or more difficult. The Department of Political Science is building a faculty cohort uniquely equipped to meet this challenge, combining cultural fluency with advanced data science to track China’s rise in real time.

Peng Peng, an assistant professor who joined the department full-time after a year as a postdoctoral fellow, studies the historical roots of Chinese nationalism and nation-building, combining statistical methods with extensive archival newspaper research.

“The U.S.-China relationship is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships of the 21st century,” she said. “The well-being of billions of people hinges on how it evolves. While tensions are high right now, there’s a long history of cooperation between the two countries, and I remain hopeful that collaboration can once again define the relationship.”

The department has also added two new faculty members, Victoria Shen and Elaine Yao, who are poised to strengthen the department’s expertise in analyzing Chinese data.

“In understanding U.S.-China relations, it’s about understanding the quality of the data,” Sinclair said. “We need people who can either look at data from independent, satellite-level sensing, or we need to measure data that's external to China, because the validity of internal data is suspect.”

Shen, who joined WashU from Stanford, studies environmental governance in authoritarian and developing countries, with a focus on China. She examines how local political incentives shape pollution control, drawing on remote sensing, fieldwork, and restricted-access datasets to assess regulatory effectiveness. Her research helps illuminate how institutions operate within authoritarian regimes.

Yao recently earned her doctorate at Princeton. In addition to her expertise on mathematical modeling and authoritarian regimes, she has published research on Chinese propaganda and communication. Her expertise will sharpen our understanding of Chinese politics and help prepare future data-savvy political scientists.

Looking ahead, WashU’s Department of Political Science is positioning itself at the forefront of international relations research. By building a faculty cohort that combines methodological innovation with global expertise, the department is laying the groundwork for discoveries that will shape the field for decades to come. As new challenges emerge on the world stage, WashU scholars will continue to generate insights that not only advance academic knowledge but also guide policymakers and equip emerging leaders to understand — and rethink — global power.

Sinclair believes the department is well prepared for the demands of these turbulent times. “We’re equipping students to engage directly with the world’s hardest problems,” she said. “Our faculty are pushing the boundaries of research on conflict, trade, and governance — and bringing those insights into the classroom. That combination ensures our graduates are not just observers of global change, but contributors to it.”

Illustrations credit: Andressa Chaves de Oliveira