Associate Program Head of Political Science; Associate Professor of Political Science
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BCom University of British Columbia; MA University of Toronto; PhD Stanford University
Research Areas: International politics; Political geography; Comparative political economy; Economic history
Christopher Paik's research focuses on international politics, political geography, and economic history. The papers in his research portfolio consider the role of geography in explaining long-term outcomes related to political and economic development; the origins of states and state stability; the causes and effects of historical global encounters, including colonialism; and the politics of ethnic identification. Together, his research brings a global, comparative, and historical perspective to the study of fundamental questions in the social sciences related to states and governance. A recurring feature of his work involves the use of analytic empirical methods, particularly related to the study of space and spatial dynamics. Christopher also makes extensive use of archival data with the goal of uncovering yet unknown historical patterns.