Research

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Currently, I work and conduct research at the FDA. However, in the past my research has sought to challenge the assumption that democracy ends at the national level and that subnational institutions are irrelevant for national democratic legitimacy and stability. In subnational authoritarian enclaves, such as those of Oaxaca in Mexico,  Bahia in Brazil, or even the US solid south after the civil war, incumbents maintain power over time using a variety of undemocratic tactics including fraud, corruption, and even repression. My primary research agenda focuses on studying this variation in subnational levels of democracy and exploring how it impacts national economic legitimacy and stability.  To explore these effects, I have developed an original latent measure of subnational democracy which I have used to explore a variety of outcomes including citizen support for democracy, political participation, and subnational economic development. Thus far, I have found that citizens living in subnational authoritarian enclaves tend to be less supportive of democracy and less likely to vote in both national and local elections. I have also found that subnational authoritarianism may actually improve subnational economic development by insulating political officials from populist pressures, but that it does not produce more equitable outcomes. In the future I plan to begin a larger book project studying the implications of subnational regime variation for national democratic legitimacy and stability. As part of this larger project, I conducted qualitative field research in Brazil where I interviewed state officials in two contrasting states, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. This larger research agenda contributes to the literatures studying democratic consolidation, legitimacy, and breakdown.

Beyond my dissertation, I have a published piece in the Quarterly Journal of Political Science. It uses AfroBarometer data to explore a source of bias in estimates of poverty from large public opinion surveys. My coauthor and I find that respondents who mistook the survey administrator as a government agency were more likely to report scarcity or lower income levels than those who did not. This source of bias is a potential cause of null results for studies that have attempted to connect personal economic (egotropic) considerations to vote choice in Africa. I also have a co-authored project that is forthcoming at Environmental Studies. It focuses on the effect of electoral competition and party system fragmentation on the provision of environmental public goods across municipalities in Mexico. We find a U-shaped relationship between the effective number of parties running in municipal elections and local air pollution levels. Finally, I am working on a larger co-authored project using data from elite-level surveys in Turkey and Pakistan to explore the effect of religiosity, individual authoritarianism, political experience, and political capital on support for democracy. This project has resulted in three additional papers that are currently under review and several working papers that will soon be under review.

Field Study Experience

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To support my dissertation research (and forthcoming article projects), I conducted a field study in Brazil in July-August 2017. I traveled to the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia to interview state government officials, state deputies, journalists, NGO leaders, and local academics about the state of democracy in these two states. I chose these two state because Bahia has a history of authoritarian governance, while Rio Grande do Sul has a more democratic reputation.

Grants and Fellowships

  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Fall 2012-2017
  • Program in Comparative Politics Field Research Support Grant, Summer 2017
  • Program in Comparative Politics Research Support Grant, Summer 2016
  • RGSO Dissertation Support Grant, Spring 2016

Publications

Under Review

  • “Multilevel democracy: Subnational regime variation and political participation”
  • “The Face of the Party: Party Leadership Selection, and the Role of Family and Faith” with Vineeta Yadav
  • “Elite Religiosity and Internal Party Politics” with Vineeta Yadav
  • “Incomplete Democracy: The Positive relationship between Subnational Democracy and Democratic Legitimacy in federal regimes”

Works in Progress

  • “Does where you live change your definition of democracy? The effect of subnational democracy”
  • “Subnational Democracy and International Trade”
  • “Subnational Democracy in Brazil: Comparing Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul”
  • “Elite authoritarianism and support for democracy: Evidence from Turkey and Pakistan” with Vineeta Yadav
  • “Does Individual Authoritarianism Make Politicians Less Supportive of Human Rights?” Evidence from Turkey and Pakistan” with Vineeta Yadav

Conference Presentations 

  • How democratic is government really? The impact of subnational regime variation on evaluations of democracy. Panel Presentation, Midwest Political Science Association conference, cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Multilevel democracy: Subnational regime variation and political participation Panel Presentation, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 3-8 2019, Chicago IL
  • Multilevel democracy: Subnational regime variation and political participation Panel Presentation, American Political Science Association Conference, August 30-September 2 2018, Boston MA
  • Incomplete Democracy: Subnational authoritarian enclaves and support for democracy. Panel Presentation, American Political Science Association Conference, August 28-September 3 2017, San Francisco, CA
  • Federalism and Democracy: Subnational (un)democratic regimes and opinions about democracy. Panel Presentation, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 6-9 2017, Chicago, IL
  • Does Partisanship Matter in a Weak Party Federal System? Partisan Cues and Federalism in Brazil. Panel Presentation, Citizens and the State: Public Opinion, Democracy, and Development in Brazil, April 5, 2017, South Bend IN
  • Federalism and Democracy: Subnational (un)democratic regimes and economic performance. Panel Presentation, American Political Science Association Conference, September 1-4, 2016, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Partisanship, Public Opinion, and the Federal Balance of Power in Brazil. Panel Presentation, Latin American Studies Association Congress , May 28-31, 2015, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Partisanship, Public Opinion, and the Federal Balance of Power in Brazil. Panel Presentation, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 16-19, 2015, Chicago IL
  • Does Federalism Improve a Country’s Ability to Protect Human Rights?, Poster Presentation, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 12 – 15 2012, Chicago Il
  • Does Federalism Improve a Country’s Ability to Protect Human Rights?, Panel Presentation, Southern Political Science Association annual meeting, January 12-14 2012,New Orleans, LA
  • Federalism and Human Rights: A Comparative Analysis, panel Presentation, Southern Political Science Association annual meeting, January 5-8 2011, New Orleans, LA