The Founding GPS Dean opens up about some of the dearest objects that adorn his office, painting a picture of his professional backstory and personal interests
By Rachel Hommel | GPS News
As the founding dean of the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), Peter Gourevitch is an expert on international relations and comparative politics, focusing on economic globalization, trade disputes, regulatory system and corporate governance. Serving as dean from 1986 to 1998, he is eager to celebrate 30 years of advancing the Pacific Century.
“While there used to be a rigid distinction between people who studied international relations and people who study domestic politics, the two must interact constantly,” said Gourevitch. “When founding the school, I knew I wanted that as the vision.”
In addition to GPS, he also helped found the Preuss School on campus, bringing his imaginative vision to the school and ensuring a bright future for students in his current role as a board member.
Today his title may be that of a distinguished professor emeritus in political science, but that doesn’t mean he’s retired completely from teaching and conducting research. His current work studies corporate governance systems in a globalizing world economy.
When not breaking academic ground, Gourevitch can be seen in the choir at the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus. For over 20 years, he has taken to the stage as a performer, rehearsing every Wednesday evening as well as serving as an active board member.
“Chorus is a big part of my life and I’ve even taken voice lessons. Singing is something I did in college and was happy to return to it,” he said.
Hover over the images above for the big picture on his professional backstory and personal interests.
3 questions with Dean Peter Gourevitch
What is your academic focus?
I study international political economy, the interaction of international and domestic politics and how countries respond to and create international economic pressures.
What are the real-world impacts of your research?
My research helps create policies of adjustment in countries for dealing with trade impacts and policies of foreign economic policy.
What skills or understanding do you hope students leave your class with?
I hope students will learn how to think about the interaction of politics and policy and politics and economic policy. All the best policies have a valid important political impact. It must make sense politically in order to make sense “optimally.”