I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University and a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Development Strategies. In July 2012, I will be joining the political science department at the University of Pennsylvania as an assistant professor. I specialize in comparative politics and the political economy of development, with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Most generally, my research explores the relation between governance institutions and the provision of public goods and social services in low-income countries. Recently, I have been interested in studying the extent to which information technology innovations can address political accountability deficiencies at both national and local levels.
My current research projects include a study that tests the impact of an innovative approach to strengthening constituent-MP linkages in Uganda, based on SMS communication (Partner: NDI); an RCT that seeks to test ways to improve the provision of health and education services by reducing information barriers for both local government politicians and citizens (Uganda, Partner: ACODE); a cross-national study on the relationship between administrative unit proliferation (district formation) and Inter-governmental balance of power; and an RCT that tests the impact of a new model to increase access to savings and loans in remote rural areas on the level and form of political participation (Uganda, Partner: CARE).
About
My current research projects include a study that tests the impact of an innovative approach to strengthening constituent-MP linkages in Uganda, based on SMS communication (Partner: NDI); an RCT that seeks to test ways to improve the provision of health and education services by reducing information barriers for both local government politicians and citizens (Uganda, Partner: ACODE); a cross-national study on the relationship between administrative unit proliferation (district formation) and Inter-governmental balance of power; and an RCT that tests the impact of a new model to increase access to savings and loans in remote rural areas on the level and form of political participation (Uganda, Partner: CARE).