Kathy L. Powers, Associate Professor

Dr. Kathy Powers is an Assistant Professor who specializes in international relations. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies with an emphasis in East Asia from Northwestern University. Dr. Powers has an M.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in American Politics and Political Economy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and earned a doctorate from Ohio State University. Her doctoral fields of specialization included International Relations and International Political Economy. Much of her present research still focuses on International Relations specifically regarding the relationship between trade and conflict, international organizations and international law as well as human rights and restorative justice. Her research focuses on international cooperation specifically institutional design in world politics. Dr. Powers is interested in the determinants of institutional creation, change, effects and termination. She specifically examines the consequences of economic institutions transformation into military organizations on conflict and how the design of the institutions of justice like war crimes tribunals, truth commissions and international courts influence whether victims of human rights violations seek reparations and are awarded them globally. Dr. Powers has published her research in journals such as the Journal of Peace Research, International Interactions, Review of International Studies and Journal of Conflict Resolution. The National Science Foundation has supported her research.