Dr Michael Plouffe

Lecturer in International Political Economy
Room: G.04, 29-31 Tavistock Square
Tel: 020 3108 9273 (x59273)
Email: michael.plouffe@ucl.ac.uk
Website

 

Biography

I am Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in International Political Economy, and joined UCL in 2013 after receiving my PhD from the University of California, San Diego. My research investigates the interactions between private actors, institutions, and the global economy. I serve as Deputy Director for the BSc Politics, Philosophy and Economics programme and previously held the roles of Departmental (Undergraduate) Tutor and Director of the Affiliate Program  in Political Science and International Relations from 2015-2018.

Research

My research examines topics that tend to fall within the scope of analytical political economy, with a particular emphasis on the interactions between domestic and international phenomena. Substantively, topics of interest include issues relating to trade policy, monetary policy, institutional quality, and the internationalization of production. Geographically, much of my work is international in scope, but I also tend to focus on East Asia and the United States.

Additional information about my publications and some ongoing research projects can be found on the research page of my personal website.

Publications

Recent peer-reviewed journal articles

• Bernier, M. and Plouffe, M., 2019. Financial innovation, economic growth, and the consequences of macroprudential policies. Research in Economics, 73(2), pp.162-173.
• Plouffe, M., 2019. Disentangling foreign direct investments. World Economics Journal, 20(3), pp.95-106.
• Wagner, P. and Plouffe, M., 2019. Electoral systems and trade-policy outcomes: The effects of personal-vote incentives on barriers to international trade. Public Choice, 180(3-4), pp.333-352.
• Plouffe, M., 2017. Firm heterogeneity and trade-policy stances: Evidence from a survey of Japanese producers. Business and Politics, 19(1), pp.1-40.

Other recent publications

• Is it publish or perish? A view from international relations and political science in the UK. Nature Human Behaviour, 10 October 2019.
• Brexit Britain’s weakness exposed in US trade deal documents. The Conversation, 12 May 2019.

Additional publications

• Further information on my publications and preprints can be found on my personal website.

Teaching

I currently teach International Political Economy (POLS0043) and the Political Economy of East Asia (POLS0094) at the undergraduate level. I also supervise dissertations for BSc and MSc students within the department. In previous years, I taught International Political Economy (PUBL0050) and International Trade Policy (PUBL0060). I maintain a range of resources for my students on my website’s teaching pages.

I welcome PhD applicants whose proposals substantively align with my research and which employ suitable empirical analytical techniques. My website has more information for prospective applicants.