Helen V. Milner (born 1958) is an American
political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
. She is currently the
B. C. Forbes Professor of Public Affairs at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
's
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where she also directs the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance. She has written extensively on issues related to
international political economy, including
international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.)
In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...
, the connections between domestic politics and
foreign policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
,
globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
and
regionalism, and the relationship between
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
and
trade policy
A commercial policy (also referred to as a trade policy or international trade policy) is a government's policy governing international trade. Commercial policy is an all encompassing term that is used to cover topics which involve international ...
.
Education
Milner graduated with a BA (honors) in
international relations
International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...
from
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1980 and earned her Ph.D. in political science from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1986.
Academic career
Since 1986 she was a professor at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and was between 2001 and 2004 the
James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations at Columbia University. She joined
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in 2005, where she served as chair of its Politics department until 2011.
In 2021-2022, she served as president of the
International Studies Association
The International Studies Association (ISA) is a US-based professional association for scholars and practitioners in the field of International relations, international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Con ...
.
Currently, she is conducting research on issues related to globalization and development, such as the political economy of
foreign aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
, the
digital divide
The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...
and the global diffusion of the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, and the relationship between globalization and
environmental policy.
Research
In her 1988 book ''Resisting Protectionism'', Milner seeks to explain why U.S. trade policy in the 1920s was more protectionist than in the 1970s, despite many similar underlying conditions.
She argues that greater economic interdependence in the latter period created a coalition of actors who stood to gain from trade and thus lobbied against protectionism.
The social science research design book ''Designing Social Inquiry'' by King, Keohane and Verba characterizes her study as a successful way that qualitative scholars can overcome
omitted variable bias.
Awards
*
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
, Stanford University, 1979.
*
Ray Atherton Fellowship in International Relations, Harvard University, 1980–1981 and 1981–1982.
*Teaching Fellowship, Harvard University, 1982–1983.
*Research Fellowship,
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...
,
Washington, D.C., 1983–1984.
*Kennedy Traveling Fellowship, Harvard University, 1985, dissertation research in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
at the
Atlantic Institute for International Relations.
*
Sumner Prize, awarded by Harvard University for the exceptional thesis in international law and peace, June 1986.
*Summer Fellowship, Columbia University Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, 1987 and 1988.
*
German Marshall Fund Fellowship, 1989-90 (declined).
*Social Science Research Council Advanced Research Fellowship in Foreign Policy Studies, 1989-91.
*Research grants,
Institute for Social and Economic Policy Research, Columbia University, 1999-2002.
*Member,
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
, 2002–present.
*Fellow,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
, 2000–present.
*Fellow,
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is an interdisciplinary research institution at Stanford University designed to advance the frontiers of knowledge about human behavior and society, and contribute to the resoluti ...
,
Stanford CA., 2001–02.
* Fellow,
Bellagio Study and Conference Center,
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
,
Bellagio,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, summer 2004.
* Member of the U.S.
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
, elected 2019
Bibliography
Books
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* General editor of multi-volume series.
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* General editor of multi-volume series.
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References
External links
Princeton - Helen V. MilnerPrinceton - Helen V. Milner - Curriculum Vitae*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milner, Helen
American women political scientists
American political scientists
American international relations scholars
1958 births
Living people
Stanford University alumni
Harvard University alumni
Princeton University faculty
Columbia University faculty
Social Science Research Council
American women academics
21st-century American women
Presidents of the International Studies Association
American foreign policy writers