Hyeon-Young Ro

Hello! I am a Researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan. I received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 2021, with fields in International Relations and Quantitative Methods.

My research focuses on domestic firms’ preferences and regulations on inbound foreign direct investment (FDI). My dissertation examines how industrial features and market entry modes of multinational corporations shape domestic producers’ attitudes towards restrictions on FDI. I am also interested in the politics of cross-border mergers and acquisitions, particularly how governments utilize policy tools — including investment screening mechanisms and competition laws — to regulate foreign MNCs’ behavior. More generally, I study how domestic special interest groups influence trade and FDI policymaking. My work has been published in the International Studies Quarterly.

My current projects include an empirical study of U.S. state-level commitments with foreign governments (paradiplomacy), co-authored with Barbara Koremenos and Ryan Scoville, presented at the American Society of International Law Research Forum in 2025.

Prior to returning to Michigan, I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University and an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Santa Clara University. I received an M.A. in Asian Studies from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea.