Kelly Hunter

Kelly Hunter is a Ph.D. student with a concentration in political science at the Sanford School of Public Policy. Hunter’s research lies at the intersection of gender and international relations. Her current project frames access to family planning and reproductive health as a global public good and a human rights issue. Hunter investigates the impact of the US’s “Global Gag Rule” (a policy aimed at restricting abortions by limiting US foreign aid funding for family planning) on 1. Other donor countries’ family planning aid contributions and 2. Women’s outcomes in the recipient country (specifically: health, education, and labor force participation outcomes). Her research touches on a number of broader ethical themes, including the role of the US in promoting human rights norms, the implications of US hegemony and policies on the actions of other countries, the prospect of international cooperation for providing global public goods, and the security consequences of demographic shifts, such as a youth bulge.