I am a 3rd year graduate student in the Political Science department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also pursuing a Master's Degree in Statistics. My research interests focus on how democratic institutions influence behavior at the both the elite and mass levels. With a background working on election campaigns and in non-profits, my years of practical experience inform my theory and design. I am currently attempting to separate the effects of elections from the effects of democracy, which are typically intertwined in political research.

In addition to election work, I've also worked as a computer programmer. I continue to put my technical skills into practice. Among other projects, I develop statistical packages to serve my needs as a practicing political scientist. Additionally, I have a strong interest in Political Science methodology. I am especially concerned about the reproducibility of research and how the tools we use shape the questions we ask.

Returning to the Cradle of Democracy: a working paper

Update: Equality by Lot is discussing this paper.

I have recently posted a working paper entitled Returning to the Cradle of Democracy: Citizen responses under election and sortition:

The hallmark of modern democracies is the competitive election. This institution is seen as the primary connection between leaders and the population. This has not always been the case. Sortition, the random selection of leaders from the population, served as the primary institution of democracy in ancient Athens. How would citizens in a modern democracy react to the use of sortition to select leaders? This study employs a survey experiment in which subjects read about a local development grant, overseen by either an elected or randomly selected committee. I find that sortition encourages more citizens to seek leadership positions, though other forms of participation remain unchanged. I also find that despite a stated preference for election, subjects see the two committees as equally capable and responsible, even when confronted with corrupt acts and closed door meetings.

The complete repository, including the code and data necessary to complete the paper, are available on GitHub.