Overview
My research centers on local politics and public policy, with a particular emphasis on the politics of service delivery: how institutions, representation, and information environments shape whether local governments deliver services effectively, equitably, and responsively to the people who need them. More specifically, I explore questions such as: How responsive are local governments to the diverse needs and voices of their constituents? How do citizens’ beliefs about government service and performance form, and how are those beliefs disrupted by misinformation or limited information? Are policies and programs achieving their intended outcomes, and what changes are needed to foster more equitable and effective governance?
To answer these questions, I draw on diverse methodological approaches and data sources, including public opinion surveys, pre-registered survey experiments, large administrative datasets, original geospatial and image-based data, and qualitative interviews and participant observation with the practitioners and agencies that deliver services on the ground. My goal is research that speaks to both academic and applied audiences, advancing our theoretical understanding of local governance while producing findings that community organizations, policymakers, and city agencies can put to use.
Current Projects
Building Local Housing Policy Infrastructure: A Scalable Method for Measuring Housing Repair Needs Using Multi-Source Imagery and Deep Learning
With Todd Swanstrom; Funded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
This project develops a scalable pipeline using Street View and satellite imagery to map housing conditions in St. Louis. By combining geospatial data collection with a deep-learning classification model, the project aims to give local governments granular, low-cost data to target housing repair and reinvestment more equitably.
Civilian Oversight Independence Index (COII)
With Stephen Bagwell; Funding support from the University of Missouri - St. Louis
A large-scale data collection project to facilitate a systematic comparative study of how civilian oversight of police is designed and structured across the United States.
Perceptions of Police Response & the Conditional Logic of Calling 911
Using original survey data from Rochester, NY (n = 219), this project examines when and why residents choose to call 911. Findings show that perceived police effectiveness is associated with willingness to call for discretionary situations but not emergencies, and that prior callers are more likely to call again — evidence that suggests behavioral path-dependence in how residents engage with public safety services. A follow-up survey experiment designed to test the causal mechanisms behind this pattern is currently in development.
Dissertation
Unequal Representation in Local Democracies: An Analysis of Public Opinion and Policy Outcomes in U.S. Cities
Committee: Paru Shah (chair), Tom Holbrook, Joel Rast, Kathy Dolan
Poster presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Political Methodology.
Selected Publications
Is It All About The Money? How Campaigns Spur Participation in State Court Elections
Justice System Journal 40(3): 221-237
Race, Place, and Descriptive Representation: What Shapes Trust Toward Local Government?
Representation 56(2): 195-213
Call and Response? Neighborhood Inequality and Political Voice
With Paru Shah and Amber Wichowsky. Forthcoming at Urban Affairs Review
An Examination of the Direct and Interactive Effects of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender on Charge Reduction
With Tina Freiburger and Danielle Romain-Dagenhardt. Forthcoming at Journal of Crime and Justice
The Effects of Race and Ethnicity on Admission, Graduation, and Recidivism in the Milwaukee County Drug Treatment Court
With Alyssa Sheeran
An Evaluation of a De-Escalation Conflict Management Training in a Behavioral Health Hospital Setting
With Tina Freiburger, Victoria Knoche, and Danielle Romain-Dagenhardt.
Reliable Sources? Correcting Misinformation in Polarized Media Environments
With Nicholas R. Davis, Taraleigh Davis, Patrick Kraft, Jason T. Neumeyer, and Shin Young Park.