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, with an empirical focus on South Asia. 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. 2024. "Global Economic Integration and Nativist Politics in Emerging Economies." American Journal of Political Science, 68 (2): 595-612.

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, 59: 138-175.

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

"Left Behind to Get Ahead: Globalization, Internal Migration, and Political Change in Emerging Economies" (with Junghyun Lim).

"Globalization, Nativism, and Local Politics: A View from the States" (with David Leblang).

Articles in progress

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

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

"Historic Marginalization and Support for Globalization in Emerging Economies." Draft in progress.

"Globalization and Human Capital Decisions of Marginalized Groups." Analysis in progress.

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

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