email: ryan.weldzius[at]villanova.edu
twitter: @RyanWeldzius |
Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Villanova University. My primary research agenda is on the distributional consequences of economic interdependence and the constraints this places on the policies of states.
The core argument of my work is that increased global value chain trade alters the policy preferences of firms, which in turn impacts policy outcomes. In my book project, Currency Wars in Retreat (manuscript in preparation), I focus on one such policy outcome: exchange rates. Whereas traditional models of exchange rate politics predict an export-dependent firm prefers an undervalued exchange rate, I argue that the benefits of this policy attenuate as firms increasingly rely on global value chains in the production of their goods. As these payoffs change, and with it the preferences of firms, so too does the exchange rate policies of states. My secondary research agenda seeks to understand how inequality affects economic growth. I approach this question by looking at the historical legacy of land reform programs and its impact on domestic political coalitions. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, M.Sc. in Economics and Management Science from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, M.A. in Politics from New York University, and B.A. in Political Science from DePaul University. I have held research appointments at the World Trade Organization, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. |