Theresa Squatrito

Dr Squatrito is Associate Professor in International Organisations in the Department of International Relations at LSE.

She teaches international organisations and international institutions at LSE.

Her research focuses on international organisations (IOs) and international law. Through the comparative study of international institutions, she contributes to debates on the institutional design, performance, and legitimacy of IOs and international courts (ICs).

Her recent book Judging under Constraint: The Politics of Deference by International Courts (Cambridge University Press, 2025) examines the decision-making of international courts. It argues that judicial deference is shaped by institutional design and states preferences.

Currently, her research examines institutional responses to legitimacy challenges and the drivers of contestation over international organisations and courts.

Dr Squatrito received her PhD from the University of Washington, Seattle in Political Science.

Theresa Squatrito supervises doctoral studies in areas including:
International law, international organisations, international courts and global and regional governance. This includes topics such as institutional design, compliance, legitimacy, performance, judicial politics, and regional integration.

Expertise
International organisations and law, international courts, global governance, regional integration, judicial politics, civil society and NGOs, human rights