Institutional Design and State Politics
My primary research of interests is the role of institutional design in state politics. In my dissertation, I use a factor analysis to identify commonalities among state government institutions such as the ballot initiative, gubernatorial power, legislative professionalism, and two dozen other institutions. I use these dimensions to understand the collective effect of state institutions on a variety of political phenomena, including policy responsiveness, policy volatility, and attitudes toward state governments.
I have recently focused on how state policies and institutions affect both overall population health, and racial inequities in population health outcomes.
I have recently focused on how state policies and institutions affect both overall population health, and racial inequities in population health outcomes.
Policy Diffusion and Innovation
Much of my research examines the predictors of policy innovation as well as the role of networks in policy diffusion. I am part of the State Policy Innovation and Diffusion Database (SPID) team that has created an unprecedentedly large data set of thousands of adoptions of hundreds of policies in all fifty states. I have also done work to understand the role of latent diffusion networks, state similarity networks, and broadband internet subscriptions in the spread of policies throughout the states. Increasingly my work in this area is focused on policy networks that emerge across the American states, and how these networks have changed over time.
As part of this research, I have started a Humanities and Social Science Lab focused on State Politics at Smith College. Along with a team of 8 undergraduates, I am building a comprehensive dataset of proposed and adopted laws expanding or restricting LGBT rights. We have currently identified over 1,000 proposals across all 50 states in 2023, and are constructing a measure of the policy environment for LGBT rights in the states. This lab allows students to explore their interest in applied social science research while also partnering with activists and journalists to build a greater understanding of the dramatic increase in bills over the last few years restricting LGBT rights.
As part of this research, I have started a Humanities and Social Science Lab focused on State Politics at Smith College. Along with a team of 8 undergraduates, I am building a comprehensive dataset of proposed and adopted laws expanding or restricting LGBT rights. We have currently identified over 1,000 proposals across all 50 states in 2023, and are constructing a measure of the policy environment for LGBT rights in the states. This lab allows students to explore their interest in applied social science research while also partnering with activists and journalists to build a greater understanding of the dramatic increase in bills over the last few years restricting LGBT rights.
Technology Policy
As part of my collaboration with GoDaddy I have studied technology policy and the implications of broadband deployment on a variety of state and local outcomes. In particular, I have focused on how broadband has contributed to economic and political outcomes such as community prosperity and how broadband has nationalized the policymaking environment.
Political Methodology
- Multi-level modeling
- Event History Analysis
- Measurement Models
- Network Analysis
- Bayesian Statistics