Research
Peer-Reviewed Articles
The Use of Data Visualization in Political Science. with Frederick J. Boehmke, Sami DeRagon, Hyein Ko, Taylor Tokos, Tianhui Wu, and Weidong Zhang. 2025. Political Science & Politics [Working Paper]
Proximity to the Border and Border Fortification’s Impact on Immigration Attitudes. with Adam Lappe. 2026. Political Research Quarterly [Paper]
Did Black Lives Matter Protests Change Public Opinion? with Frederick J. Boehmke, Samuel M. Avery, Marissa S. Good, and Hyein Ko. 2023. American Politics Research [Paper]
Under Review
Foreign Aid Between Disaster and Rebellion: Subnational Evidence from the Philippines. Under Review [Working Paper]
Abstract: How do states balance between spending foreign aid to manage disasters or to manage internal conflict? This paper argues that the saliency of both conflict and natural disasters influences where foreign aid projects are prioritized. Specifically, states prioritize disaster-impacted localities where government control of said localities is high to better ensure that aid is not co-opted or destroyed by insurgents, as well as to reward supporters and punish dissidents to maintain or improve stability. Further, the state may consider providing aid to firmly held rebel territories that are impacted by a natural disaster as an opportunity to gain intelligence, win hearts and minds, or otherwise garner good favor or leverage over the rebels to aid in negotiations, at the risk of destruction or co-optation, making it secondary to state objectives to further stabilize the country. This paper evaluates this theory through a subnational analysis of the Philippines’ municipalities from 2011 to 2014. World Bank project aid is more likely to be allocated and receive more funding in government-controlled territories that are impacted by a natural disaster than in rebel-controlled territories that are similarly affected. In addition, contested municipalities are the most likely and most funded places for World Bank aid. These findings contribute to important questions as to the role of recipient states in aid delivery and whether foreign aid is driven by strategic or political needs rather than the humanitarian needs of those impacted by disasters or conflict.
Resource Riches, Rebel Rulers: The Impact of Resource Wealth on Insurgent Governance. Under Review [Working Paper]
Abstract: How do natural resources impact the types of governance that rebels can provide? Extensive research has been conducted on how natural resource wealth influences state behavior and governance. As much of the world shifts to cleaner forms of energy or better management of resource wealth, conflict zones often see the development of alternatives to state governance. While an extensive amount of research has showcased a variety of ways in which natural resources can influence rebel violence, a more robust look at how natural resources impact the provision of rebel governance is needed. I argue that rebel access to natural resources incentivizes the development of social service institutions, such as education, as well as security-related institutions. Security institutions can be used to help delineate group borders, protect or expand existing resource wealth, or maintain coercion over a local populace. Social services can help maintain and grow a workforce for resource smuggling or extraction, can strongly benefit from increases in funding, and can help develop internal cohesion. Through the use of case vignettes examining the KIO in Myanmar and the ADF in Uganda alongside a quantitative analysis, I find considerable evidence to indicate that security institutions are more likely to be present when rebel groups have profited from natural resources the year prior. Further, I find that groups with lootable resources are more likely to have at least one institution tied to social services than those with no resources.