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Barbara Koremenos joined Michigan as an Associate Professor of Political Science in September 2005. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1999. She also received an M.P.P. from Chicago in the early 1990s.

Much of her research applies game theory to issues of institutional and agreement design. She has published in International Organization, Journal of Legal Studies, Rationality and Society, and American Political Science Review. She is co-editor of a special issue of International Organization (Fall 2001) entitled, “Rational Design: Explaining the Form of International Institutions,” in which she co-authors the theoretical framework article as well as the conclusion.

She is the second political scientist ever to receive a National Science Foundation CAREER Award ($250,000) for her project entitled, “Designing International Agreements: Theoretical Development, Data Collection, and Empirical Analysis,” which addresses the continent of international law from a political science perspective.

Jana von Stein’s broad areas of research and teaching interest are: international cooperation and institutions; the relationship between domestic politics and international relations; and statistical methods. Jana’s current research seeks to understand when and why states comply with the international legal commitments they make. To understand what impact international law might have on state behavior, she also examines why states initially sign international agreements. The research project examines the questions of why states commit and why they comply in three areas of international cooperation.

In the realm of economics, the study looks at the relationship between commitment to the International Monetary Fund and current account restrictions. In the realm of human rights, the project examines the relationship between ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Minimum Age Convention and child labor; and the relationship between ratification of the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention and gender wage equality.

Finally, in international environmental affairs, the study looks at the relationship between commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and greenhouse gas emissions.

Jana von Stein joined the faculty at Michigan in September 2005.