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 research 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. At Texas A&M, I am a Research Fellow in the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy and a member of the newly created Lab for Economic Development Research (LEDR).

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, Sonal Pandya, and Rajkumar Venkatesan. 2024. "War on Aisle 5: Casualties, National Identity, and Consumer Behavior." Journal of Conflict Resolution, Online First.

Helms, Benjamin. 2023. "Exit or Voice? Corruption Perceptions and Emigration." Studies in Comparative International Development, Online First.

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

"Bartering Bureaucrats: Foreign Direct Investment and Rent Seeking." (with Sonal Pandya and Sheetal Sekhri).

Articles in progress

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

"Global Migration, Local Enforcement, and Electoral Outcomes" (with David Leblang).

"Globalization, Internal Migration, and Political Change in Emerging Economies" (with Junghyun Lim).

"International Migration and Interstate Conflict." (with David Leblang and Philip Potter).

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