Thomas M. Flaherty

Princeton University



About me


I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University's Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance. In fall 2024, I will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas A&M University.   I received my Ph.D. in the summer of 2023 from the Department of Political Science at UC San Diego.


My research in International Political Economy explores the electoral politics of globalization from the perspective of local labor markets and geographic mobility. My dissertation shows how the local spillover effects of international trade, as well as voters' ability to migrate between regions, fuels support for populist parties across advanced democracies. My work on the NAFTA trade shock also contributes to our understanding of the political and economic effects of integration. 


I have published related articles in International Organization, Economics & Politics, and The Review of International Organizations. My research has received generous support from the National Science Foundation, the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the Yankelovich Center, and the San Diego Fellowship


I received my B.A. in political science from UCLA in 2014. I spent three years as a student lobbyist and advocate for issues such as affordable education and the California DREAM Act. I grew up partly in California and the Philippines. I proudly represent my mixed Filipino heritage as the first in my family to attend college. 


Email: thomas.flaherty@princeton.edu

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