Educational Background
- Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2016
- M.A., Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2007
- B.A., Political Science and Japanese, University of Washington, 2005
Kristi Govella is Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Specializations
Dr. Kristi Govella specializes in comparative politics and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on Asian regionalism, Japanese politics, and the relationship between economics and security. She is currently writing a book examining how the early stages of trade liberalization shape the preferences and political strategies of multinational firms through a cross-sectoral analysis of the Japanese political economy. She is also engaged in a number of projects looking at defense capacity building, Asian regional institutional architecture, Japanese security reforms, Sino-Japanese relations, and Chinese infrastructure aid using a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Govella was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (Program on US-Japan Relations) and an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She has also been a visiting research fellow at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, in addition to holding positions at the Berkeley APEC Study Center, the US Department of State, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. She is an alumna of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, the Pacific Forum Young Leaders Program, and the Nitobe Kokusai Juku.
Courses
- ASAN 312: Contemporary Asian Civilizations.
- ASAN 462: Contested Issues in Contemporary Japan.
- ASAN 626: Capitalism in Contemporary Asia.
- ASAN 687: Conflict & Cooperation in Contemporary Asia.
- ASAN 689: International Relations of Asia.
- ASAN 750: Research Seminar in Asian Studies.
Selected Publications
- In preparation for submission. “Permeable Policymaking: Multinational Firms in the Japanese Political Economy.”
- In preparation for submission. “Coping with Competition in the Global Commons: Japan in the Maritime, Cyber, and Outer Space Domains.”
- In preparation for submission. “Commerce, Crime, and Conflict: The Economic-Security Nexus of Fishing in the South China Sea.”
- Under contract. “The Role of the UN Debates on Peace and Security,” in Lee and Panda (eds.) The United Nations, Korean Peninsula, and the Emerging Peace Architecture, New York: Routledge.
- In press. “From Trade Laggard to Trade Leader: Japan’s Role in Countering the Backlash Against Globalization,” in Kusano and Katsumata (eds.) Non-Western Nations and the Future of the Liberal World Order, New York: Routledge.
- In press. “Economic Rivals, Security Allies: The US-Japan Trade War,” in Liang and Zhang (eds.) Research Handbook on Trade Wars, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
- “China’s Challenge to the Global Commons: Compliance, Contestation, and Subversion in the Maritime and Cyber Domains,” International Relations, 35(3): 446–468, 2021.
- “The Adaptation of Japanese Economic Statecraft: Trade, Aid, and Technology,” World Trade Review 20(2): 186–202, 2021.
- “Technology and Tensions in the Global Commons,” Fletcher Security Review 6(1); pp. 38–44, 2019.
- “Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States” (co-edited with Vinod Aggarwal). New York: Springer (2012).
- “Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States” (co-edited with Vinod Aggarwal). New York: Springer (2011).
- “The Trade-Security Nexus in the Asia-Pacific” (with Vinod Aggarwal). In Aggarwal & Govella (eds.) Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States. New York: Springer (2012).
- “Trade Linkages to Traditional and Non-Traditional Security: Lessons and Prospects” (with Vinod Aggarwal). In Aggarwal & Govella (eds.) Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States. New York: Springer (2012).
- “Introduction: The Fall of the Soviet Union and the Resurgence of Russia” (with Vinod Aggarwal). In Aggarwal & Govella (eds.) Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States. New York: Springer (2011).
- “Russian Foreign Policy: Challenging the Western Liberal International Order?” (with Vinod Aggarwal). In Aggarwal & Govella (eds.) Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States. New York: Springer (2011).
- “Japan in 2007: A Divided Government” (with Steven Vogel). Asian Survey, vol. 48, no. 1 (January 2008), pp. 97-106.