DINSHA MISTREE | Graduate Student in Politics, Princeton University

· Globalization, Migration, and New Challenges to Governance, Current History, April 2009 (co-authored with Nazli Choucri)

What drives globalization? Many have argued that globalization, or the increase in cross-border interactions, comes about due to economic interconnectedness. In this piece, we consider patterns of globalization in the context of migration, arguing that economic interconnectedness alone cannot be what is responsible for the increase in cross-border interactions. We offer a unique framework to explain the globalization process and we explain how this framework is useful for various modes of governance. Here is a copy of the article.

· Mapping Sustainability, Springer Press, 2007 (co-editor)

This book introduces a structure for organizing studies of sustainability policy and practice. I authored or co-authored three chapters:

– “Electronic Governance: Salience, Trends, and Challenges.”

– “Globalization and International Trade: Insights from Graph Theory” (with Behram Mistree)

– “Global Agenda!: Version 1.0” (with Christi Electris). In this chapter, we present a computer game designed to teach students about International Relations.

· Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence in World Politics, 2007 (Master’s Thesis)

I applied tools from graph / network theory (similar to social network analysis) to depict patterns of international trade. I also borrowed a clustering algorithm originally designed to map relationships between genes and proteins in order to find latent cliques of trading countries. In future work, I plan to examine when these latent trading patterns lead to formalization of trade agreements, and whether the decision to formalize leads to different outcomes (i.e. more trade, more kinds of trade, etc.). The thesis is available here.

· Using System Dynamics to Model and Better Understand State Stability, MIT Sloan Research Paper, September 2007 (co-authored with Nazli Choucri, Daniel Goldsmith, Stuart Madnick, J. Bradley Morrison, and Michael Siegel)

The world can be complex and dangerous - the loss of state stability of countries is of increasing concern. Although every case is unique, there are important common processes. We have developed a system dynamics model of state stability based on an extensive review of the literature and debriefings of subject matter experts. We represent the nature and dynamics of the 'loads' generated by insurgency activities, on the one hand, and the core features of state resilience and its 'capacity' to withstand these 'loads', on the other. The challenge is to determine when threats to stability override the resilience of the state and, more important, to anticipate conditions under which small additional changes in anti-regime activity can generate major disruptions. With these insights, we can identify appropriate and actionable mitigation factors to decrease the likelihood of radical shifts in behavior and enhance prospects for stability. Find the paper here.

· The House of Security: Stakeholder Perceptions of Security Assessment and Importance, MIT Sloan Research Paper, July 2007 (co-authored with Stuart Madnick, Wee Horng Ang, Yang Lee, Michael Siegel, Diane M. Strong, and Richard Y. Wang)

In this paper we introduce a methodology for analyzing differences regarding security perceptions within and between stakeholders, and the elements which affect these perceptions. We have designed the "House of Security", a security assessment model that provides the basic framework for considering eight different constructs of security: (1) Vulnerability, (2) Accessibility, (3) Confidentiality, (4) Technology Resources for Security, (5) Financial Resources for Security, (6) Business Strategy for Security, (7) Security Policy and Procedures, and (8) Security Culture. We designed and performed a survey of about 1500 professionals in various industries, levels, and functions resulting in a gap analysis to uncover differences (1) between the different constructs and aspects of security, (2) between different enterprise stakeholder roles, and (3) between different organizations. This paper briefly describes the development of the security constructs and some of the preliminary findings. Find the paper here.

Princeton University, Department of Politics, Corwin Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544

e-mail: dmistree@princeton.edu

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