Benjamin Judkins graduated Summa Kum Laude with high honors in political science from the University of Rochester in 1998. He received his doctorate from Columbia University in 2004 and is currently an assistant professor of political science at the University of Utah. His fields of specialization are international relations, political economy and comparative politics. His research interests include economic statecraft, trade, globalization, and religion in international politics. His most recent major publication (coauthored with Helen V. Milner) examines the effects of ideology and party identity on trade policy formation in the current era of globalization.