Welcome!

​I am the Wick Cary Assistant Professor of Political Economy in the International and Area Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma. This academic year (2018/2019), I am a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. I received my Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University in 2017. I study public opinion and political behavior in authoritarian regimes, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. I am also interested in macro-issues of regime stability and legitimization in non-democratic and transitioning regimes. My new work explores the historical drivers of economic development in Africa, focusing on the importance of colonial institutions and legacies.