Beth A. Simmons teaches international relations and international law at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a researcher, she is best known for her work on global policy diffusion, the influence of international law on human rights outcomes, and international political economy during the interwar years. More recently, Simmons has studied global performance assessments as informal governance mechanisms, the recent “thickening” of international border crossings, and international and transnational crime. She has worked at the International Monetary Fund and was previously president of the International Studies Association.
Professional positions
- 2016–present: Andrea Mitchell University Professor of Law, Political Science, and Business Ethics, University of Pennsylvania
- 2002–2016: Professor of government (2002–2006) and Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs (2006–2016), Harvard University
- 1996–2002: Associate professor of political science, University of California, Berkeley
- 1991–1996: Assistant professor of political science, Duke University
Notable publications
- Kelley, Judith G., and Beth A. Simmons, eds. 2020. The Power of Global Performance Indicators. Cambridge University Press.
- Simmons, Beth A. 2009. Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics. Cambridge University Press.
- Simmons, Beth A., Frank Dobbin, and Geoffrey Garrett, eds. 2008. The Global Diffusion of Markets and Democracy. Cambridge University Press.
- Simmons, Beth A. 1994. Who Adjusts? Domestic Sources of Foreign Economic Policy During the Interwar Years. Princeton University Press.
Degrees
- PhD, government, Harvard University
- MA, government, Harvard University
- MA, international relations, University of Chicago
- BA, political science and philosophy, University of Redlands
