Research

My research interests lie in two areas of international and comparative political economy. First, I am interested in the political economy of globalization. My dissertation explores how the global spread of production reshapes politics in emerging economies. I am also engaged in several projects related to the political economy of international migration. See below for a list of my publications and works under review and in progress.

Book

Leblang, David and Benjamin Helms. 2023. The Ties That Bind: Immigration and the Global Political Economy (with David Leblang). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Click here to order from Cambridge University Press, or click here to order on Amazon.

Peer-reviewed articles

Helms, Benjamin. "Exit or Voice? Corruption Perceptions and Emigration." Accepted at Studies in Comparative International Development.

Helms, Benjamin. 2023. "Global Economic Integration and Nativist Politics in Emerging Economies." American Journal of Political Science, Early View.

Helms, Benjamin and David Leblang. 2022. "Labor Market Policy as Immigration Control: The Case of Temporary Protected Status." International Studies Quarterly, 66 (3), sqac042.

Helms, Benjamin and David Leblang. 2019. "Global Migration: Causes and Consequences." Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press.

Articles under review

"War on Aisle 5: Casualties, National Identity, and Consumer Behavior." (with Sonal Pandya and Rajkumar Venkatesan). Invited to revise and resubmit to Journal of Conflict Resolution.

Articles in progress

"Bartering Bureaucrats: Foreign Direct Investment Weakens Governance." (with Sonal Pandya and Sheetal Sekhri). In preparation for submission.

"International Migration and Interstate Conflict." (with David Leblang and Philip Potter). In preparation for submission.

"Global Economic Integration and the Political Economy of Education Provision." Draft in progress.

"Monetary Policy and International Migration." Draft in progress.

"Highway Through the Danger Zone: Thresholds of Democratic Survival and Breakdown." (with Jonathan Kropko, David Leblang, and Anne Meng). Draft in progress.