Tana Johnson

Tana Johnson is a member of the faculty in Public Affairs and Political Science.  Her work is driven by big puzzles in international relations and by important real-world problems.  In national and international affairs, how do we design institutions, delegate tasks, and manage bureaucracies?  How do we navigate tradeoffs when issues—such as economic and environmental policy—overlap?  How can governments, businesses, and civil society operate better?  Johnson’s research uses interviews, analyses of original data, archival research, formal models, and computer-assisted textual analysis.  She examines the operations of the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and other international institutions.  Her research has been published in top outlets such as International Organization, Journal of Politics, Review of International Political Economy, and Review of International Organizations.

Selected Publication:

Johnson, Tana, and Margaret J. Foster. “Rhetorical frames: a strategy of governmental power in international negotiations.” Third World Quarterly (2024): 1-24.