Yena Kim

Welcome! 

I am Yena Kim, a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and incoming Hans J. Morgenthau Fellow at the O’Brien Notre Dame International Security Center.

My research lies at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics. I study how domestic politics shape state behavior in foreign policy—particularly international cooperation and conflict. My dissertation asks why and when populist leaders in power undermine international cooperation and pursue more conflictual foreign policy. I argue that the strength of  domestic populist demand moderates this relationship—shaping when and how strongly populists' political incentives translate into distinctive international behavior. I test the theory using a multi-method strategy that combines observational analysis, survey experiments, and qualitative case studies.

Please feel free to reach out at yena.kim@wisc.edu.