Barrett

Beverly Barrett

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics, University of St. Thomas, Houston
Areas of Expertise:
  • Colleges & Universities
  • Economy
  • Foreign Policy & Security

Connect with Beverly

(713) 485-5078

About Beverly

As an international policy specialist, Barrett’s research interests include international political economy, regional integration, and governance with particular emphasis on higher education policy and economic development. Previously, she participated in a doctoral fellowship with the European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Miami. Following her M.A. in International Relations for Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), professional experiences in public policy included assignments with the U.S. House of Representatives, the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, and the U.S. Department of State in Helsinki, Finland as well as with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Barrett is active with community organizations including the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Why the World Trade Organization's New Trade Facilitation Agreement is a Promising Development

Basic Facts Brief,

Challenges and Opportunities for Efforts to Build Academic Ties between The United States and Mexico

Key Findings Brief,

In the News

"Trade for Texas: Strength in North America ," Beverly Barrett, Cameron School of Business- Commentary, University of St. Thomas, 2019.
"The Knowledge Economy and the Globalization of Higher Education," Beverly Barrett, Cameron School of Business- Commentary, University of St. Thomas, 2018.
"Paris Points the Way Forward on International Environmental Policy," Beverly Barrett, Forbes, December 28, 2015.
"Security after the Paris Attacks," Beverly Barrett, Houston Newsmakers NBC KPRC, November 22, 2015.
Beverly Barrett quoted on expanding mrkets by Chris Tomlinson, "Asian Trade Agreement Offers Opportunities for Houston Business" Houston Chronicle, March 25, 2015.
Beverly Barrett quoted on financial education by Andrew Schneider, "The End of Quantitative Easing" Houston Public Media: Business Focus, October 31, 2014.

Publications

"Introducing a Bilateral Research and Innovation Agenda: A Case Study on Mexico and the United States" (with Gustavo Gregorutti and Angeles Dominguez), in North-South University Research Partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Gustavo Gregorutti and Nanette Svenson (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), 15-36.
"Domestic Institutions and Foreign Assistance in Haiti: Requisites for Economic Development" Development Policy Review 25 (2017).

Considers competing institutional and geographic explanations for economic development, and the institutional framework is dominant explaining the historically weak governance structure and the role of foreign assistance in development.  Reviews the post-colonial legacy of Haiti and its impact on economic development. Discusses the lack of an integral state resulting in weak institutions.

Globalization and Change in Higher Education: The Political Economy of Policy Reform in Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).

Sets out political economy explanations for higher education policy reform in Europe in the initial decades of the 21st century. With a sustained focus on the national level of policy implementation, institutional change is considered in relationship to broader trends in economic development and globalization.

"U.S.-Mexico Academic Mobility: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities," (with David Vassar), Mexico Center: Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, August 2014.

Reveals trends in higher education policy between the U.S. and Mexico.  Show that limited communication, inadequate funding, and perceptions of insecurity in Mexico are significant barriers to overcome in order to increase academic mobility. 

"The Political Economy of Preferential Trade Agreements: Latin America and Beyond" (with Laura Gomez-Mera). Latin American Politics and Society 54, no. 1 (2012): 181-196.

Presents the resurgence of regionalism throughout the world in the early 1990s triggered an extensive body of research by economists and political scientists. Examines the relationship between think-tanks - which emphasize knowledge, ideas, and learning - and policy makers in countries in Latin America in particular.

"The Bologna Process and Europe 2020 Economic Growth Strategy," Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence, 2011; 2012; 2013.

Explains the political economy of the Bologna Process and the higher education reforms initiated in Europe at the beginning of the millennium as a series of papers.