Dr. Brian Rathbun

Biography

Brian Rathbun is a Professor with a cross-appointment at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He previously served in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002. Rathbun's research integrates insights from political, social, evolutionary, cognitive, and moral psychology to address significant questions in international relations, particularly regarding foreign policy decision-making. His commitment to a research method that provides leverage on the questions at hand has led him to employ a variety of tools including archival-based case studies, public opinion surveys, elite interviewing, quantitative text analysis, and laboratory experiments. He has authored five solo books focused on humanitarian intervention, multilateral institution building, diplomacy, rationality, and morality. His articles have been published in prestigious journals including International Organization and American Political Science Review. He received the 2009 USC Parents Association Teaching and Mentoring Award and was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar by the Diplomatic Studies Section of the International Studies Association in 2019.

Research Interests