Soosun You

I am PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, a Research Associate at the Center on the Politics of Development and Research Fellow at the Human Trafficking Vulnerability Lab.

My work focuses on addressing various challenges to achieving gender equality. My dissertation examines how the politics of the marriage market has shaped the feminist and antifeminist movements in South Korea, and East Asia more broadly. Currently, I am examining how the anti-natalist and pro-natalist government campaigns and policies have affected different dimensions of women’s empowerment using both qualitative and quantitative methods such as in-depth interviews, surveys, and quasi-natural experiments.

My other works examine the salience of economic inequality on support for women’s social, economic, and political empowerment, the impact of awareness campaigns on norms and behaviors on labor exploitation and human trafficking in Nepal and Hong Kong, and the role of information and misperceptions on various political behaviors.

Prior to pursuing my PhD, I worked as a journalist in South Korea. I also worked as a Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) research fellow in Holeta, Ethiopia, studying the effects of education and health interventions on knowledge, perceptions and behaviors among mothers with young children.

I hold a BA in Economics, an MA in Political Science from UC Berkeley, and a Master of Public Policy from Seoul National University.

You can find more about me in my C.V..