Dissertation Title:
Fighting for Capitalism's Cutting Edge: The Post-Industrial Campaign for American Competitiveness

Julia Marino is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University specializing in United States History of Science, with a particular focus on the intersections of science and economic policy. Her dissertation, “Fighting for Capitalism’s Cutting Edge,” explores how, in response to Japan’s economic and technological rise, American policymakers embraced the maintenance of competitiveness as a central policy goal from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

Before coming to Princeton, Julia majored in History modified with Religion at Dartmouth College, where she graduated summa cum laude in June of 2017. Her undergraduate thesis examined how the crusade against polio convinced Americans that voluntary organizations like the March of Dimes Foundation could solve public health challenges without government involvement.