Benjamin Cohen

Benjamin Cohen is a political scientist known for pioneering contributions to the field of international political economy and the study of currency politics, global governance, and the intersections of markets and states. He has held faculty positions at leading universities and written influential books and articles that shaped debates on monetary policy, financial regulation, and the political dimensions of economic integration. His work bridges literatures associated with realism (international relations), liberalism (international relations), and constructivist approaches to international affairs.

Early life and education

Cohen was born in the United Kingdom and later became associated with academic institutions in the United States, receiving formative training that integrated British and American intellectual traditions. He completed undergraduate and graduate studies at leading universities, including institutions such as University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, and Harvard University or Yale University in the Anglo-American network of social science education. His doctoral dissertation engaged questions related to international finance, linking scholarship from John Maynard Keynes-inspired debates to postwar developments surrounding the Bretton Woods Conference and the International Monetary Fund.

Academic career

Cohen held faculty appointments at major research universities and was associated with centers and institutes focused on international relations and economic policy, including affiliations with departments of political science and schools of public policy at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and other notable universities. He taught courses on topics overlapping with specialists on globalization, trade policy, and monetary institutions, supervised doctoral students, and participated in collaborative projects with scholars from Princeton University, Stanford University, and London School of Economics. Cohen also served on editorial boards of journals linked to American Political Science Association-affiliated publications and international political economy periodicals.

Major works and contributions

Cohen authored several landmark books and numerous articles that became core readings in courses on international political economy. His major books analyze the politics of currency relations, the role of states in global finance, and shifting patterns of economic power after the Cold War. These works engaged with debates around the European Monetary Union, the emergence of China as an economic actor, and the regulatory responses to financial crises such as the Asian financial crisis and the 2008 financial crisis. He contributed to conceptual innovations by blending empirical case studies involving United States monetary diplomacy, Japan’s economic policy, and Germany’s role in European integration with theoretical arguments about power, institutions, and ideas.

Research interests and theories

Cohen’s research centers on the political determinants of monetary and financial arrangements, examining how states, international organizations, and private actors shape the architecture of global finance. He developed influential analyses of currency hierarchies, the politics of exchange-rate regimes, and the governance challenges posed by cross-border capital flows. His theoretical approach synthesizes elements from scholars such as Robert Keohane, Stephen Krasner, and Susan Strange, while dialoguing with work by Charles Kindleberger, Barry Eichengreen, and Michael Pettis. Cohen explored how transnational networks of policymakers in institutions like the Bank for International Settlements, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund interact with national authorities such as the Federal Reserve System, European Central Bank, and Bank of Japan.

Awards and honors

Over his career, Cohen received recognition from professional associations and academic institutions, including prizes awarded by bodies linked to British Academy-affiliated centers and American Political Science Association sections for work in international political economy. He was elected to fellowships and received visiting professorships at research institutes such as the Smithsonian Institution-adjacent centers, European policy institutes, and North American think tanks. His books were cited in award deliberations related to contributions to scholarship on globalization and international finance.

Category:Political scientists Category:International political economy