Valerie Hudson, a BYU professor of political science, is included in Foreign Policy magazines first list of "Top 100 Global Thinkers."
PROVO, Utah – A Brigham Young University scholar is among Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” a list that includes Barack Obama, Ben Bernanke, and Hillary Clinton.
Valerie Hudson, professor of political science, was ranked number 97 for her research on how nations’ treatment of women within their borders affects their security. The magazine wrote: “Hudson's indispensable 2004 study Bare Branches may have been partially responsible for the scaling back of China's one-child policy . . .”
“Foreign Policy is a prestigious magazine widely read by scholars and policymakers across the world, and this list is very prestigious company,” said Hudson’s department chair, Darren Hawkins. “Professor Hudson is identifying a link between doing what’s right and furthering a nation’s self-interest.”
Hudson had no inkling of the honor.
“I was blindsided when the email arrived; I thought it was a phishing scam,” said Hudson, who has been an avid reader of Foreign Policy for more than 15 years. After confirming the notification, she felt “very gratified, and pleased that this reflects wonderfully on BYU.”
