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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: May 7, 2014
In April, Michael Murphree, successfully defended his dissertation earning the first Ph.D. awarded by The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in International Affairs, Science and Technology.
Where are you from?
I was raised in Texas until I was 15 and moved to Singapore for three years before coming to Atlanta to start my undergrad at Georgia Tech in 2000.
What is your educational/professional background?
I am a Tech man through and through, having earned my B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. all here at Georgia Tech. In between finishing my bachelor’s and beginning my masters, I spent a year teaching English in China. After earning my M.S., I returned to China to conduct research with former Nunn School professor Dan Breznitz on high technology industry and innovation before beginning my Ph.D.
What did you learn from your experience teaching English in Guizhou Province, China?
Teaching in China was one of the best and most formative experiences of my life. My Chinese language skills improved immensely and I discovered that I enjoy teaching, although perhaps I lack the patience to work with younger students. The experience also instilled in me an interest in economic development, international business, and the role of the state in promoting industrial and economic growth. Guizhou at the time was just beginning its economic boom, so it was a fascinating time to be in China and observe decades of change compressed into a few short years.
Why did you choose The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs?
I chose The Nunn School because of its unique interdisciplinary approach to international affairs research and education. Few programs combine engineering, science, public policy, international business, and political science into such a well-organized package. Being at the intersection of multiple disciplines can be daunting, but it gives a lot of intellectual freedom to explore.
The program also allowed me to work with scholars pursuing a wide range of interests in comparative political economy, economic development, science and technology policy, as well as more esoteric concepts like using technology to develop new tools for studying or making policy predictions in these areas.
Describe your research.
My research looks at the comparative political economy of technology standards, specifically the role these standards play in the formation of markets for technology in different political economies. My dissertation compares the standardization process and market outcomes for technology in the U.S., Europe, and China. I find that the differences in our respective technology markets can be attributed to the historically-derived institutions of standardization—formal development organizations, as well as less formalized, but still consistent patterns of behavior—and the positions of different states and firms in fragmented global production chains.
Understanding the connection between standardization and market outcomes may help policy makers and firms better tailor their standardization and market strategies in different countries in order to improve their outcomes.
What led you down this research path?
My interest in standards began while working with Professor Breznitz on our book Run of the Red Queen, which includes brief case studies looking at China’s standardization policies and practices in mobile telephony and optical storage media. This introduced me to the political world of standardization and the different avenues by which states seek to set and control standards.
Michael Murphree has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.
