I am broadly interested in how value-based issues affect economic globalisation. Industrialised democracies negotiate human rights or environmental side agreements during trade negotiations to export their values to trading partners. My book project examines how the US and the EU adopt different strategies to make those side agreements look credible in the eyes of their domestic constituencies and how those side agreements affect their relationships with partner countries.

My other projects investigate a) when governments enforce global corporate norms and discipline companies for breaking those norms, b) whether legislators respond to changing public opinion on trade, c) how governments choose different trade barriers to protect the environment.

Dr Lee is not taking on new PhD students for entry in 2024/25.