Welcome! I am an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, with a joint appointment at the Max Kade German and European Studies Center. I have received my Ph.D. degree from the University of California-Davis in June, 2009.  

My research and teaching interests include a broad array of issues in comparative politics and institutions (both in developed and developing democracies), as well as political methodology.

In my dissertation I analyze political parties' policy changes in response to public opinion shifts in twenty-four democracies, with a focus on Western Europe. The first chapter of my dissertation, "Timely Decisions: The Effects of Past National Elections on Party Policy" is published in the Journal of Politics (2009).

My research also includes how political party policy changes affect public opinion, election outcomes, cabinet formation and duration, and party leadership survival in both Western and Eastern and Central European democracies. You can access my published and forthcoming projects in Comparative Politics, British Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics under "Research."

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Research

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