Erica Dobbs is a Ph.D. candidate in political economy and comparative politics. Her research interests include immigration, collective action and social movements, transnational politics, and organized labor. Her dissertation project explores how trade unions and other existing political organizations respond to immigration in the “new destination” countries of Western Europe, and how their response affects immigrant political integration. From 2009-2010 she will be conducting fieldwork in Spain and Ireland with the support of the Fulbright-Schuman Program, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard and the MIT Center for International Studies.
Erica has a B.A. in history from Howard University and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. From 2004-2006, she worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on organizing campaigns in South Florida, targeting immigrant laborers in the service sector. She has received past research support from the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) and the Center for International Development at Harvard University.
email: edobbs@mit.edu