I am an Associate Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University.    My research interests lie broadly in political economy, with an emphasis on comparative democratization and elections, civil conflict, and international development.  I am the author of Elections in Hard Times: Building Stronger Democracies in the 21st Century (2016, Cambridge University Press and Woodrow Wilson Center Press, with Irfan Nooruddin).  My research has also appeared in the Journal of Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Review of International Organizations, among other peer-reviewed journals.  I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan (2008) and a BA in Government from Harvard University.

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My CV

Recent News

• I published a new report entitled "Theories of Democratic Change, Phase III: Transitions from Conflict" with  with colleagues Irfan Nooruddin and Jennifer Dresden of Georgetown University. The report reviews our knowledge of research on the intersection of violent conflict and democratic practice and is part of a grant from IIE and USAID.  You can download it here. 
• My article "Colombia: Democracy, violence, and the peacebuilding challenge" (co-authored with Juan Vargas of la Universidad del Rosario) was published in Conflict Management and Peace Science.  The piece introduces a special issue on the Colombian peace process, featuring great articles by some of the best minds in conflict and peace studies. Find out more about the issue here. 
• I presented Elections in Hard Times at the 13th Inter-American Meeting of Electoral Management Bodies in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.