Julia Morse

Julia Morse is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in global governance, international organizations, and security cooperation. She is a scholar of international relations with a focus on reputation, compliance, and market-driven enforcement in global regimes.

Education:

• PhD, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (2017)
• MPA, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
• AB in Public Policy Studies and Political Science, Duke University

Her research explores the politics of information, monitoring, and compliance in international institutions, including work on AI governance, financial enforcement against illicit activities, and multilateral dynamics. She has authored the book The Bankers’ Blacklist (Cornell University Press, 2022), shortlisted for the BISA IPEG book prize.

Research Trends: Her recent publications span global governance challenges (2025–2022), with subfields including strategic noncompliance, norm transgression, UN General Assembly behavior, and financial enforcement mechanisms. Earlier work (2020–2016) examines institutional spillovers, anti-globalization resistance, and counter-multilateralism.

Scientific Awards:

• Shortlisted for BISA IPEG 2023 Book Prize
• APSA Best Article Award (2023)
• Robert A. Belfer International Affairs Fellowship (Council on Foreign Relations)

She previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Browne Center for International Politics, worked as an intelligence analyst at the FBI, and held roles at the State Department. Her policy writing appears in The Washington Post and The Atlantic, and she consults on global governance issues.