RESEARCH

PUBLICATIONS

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“Understanding Intimate Partner Violence” (with Lisa Blaydes and James D. Fearon). Forthcoming in American Review of Political Science.​ Early publication.

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Violence against women occurs at high rates in societies across the world. The most common form is intimate partner violence, abuse perpetrated against a spouse or intimate relationship partner. We present a household bargaining model that seeks to clarify causal mechanisms and to identify key pathways by which economic, political, legal, and cultural factors external to households influence domestic abuse rates, gender equity within relationships, and rates of relationship dissolution. We relate key parameters to factors that differ across societies and over time, including economic opportunities for women, laws that criminalize domestic abuse, and social norms associated with gender equality. We review research associated with these topics to establish what we know and do not know about the production of violence against women in households. While much of this literature is outside of the field of political science, we highlight opportunities for political scientists to contribute to our understanding of how and why domestic violence persists in the world today.

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WORKING PAPERS

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“Support for Refugee Integration in a Major Refugee-Hosting Country: Evidence from Kenya” (with Adam Lichtenheld). Under review. Preprint. 

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What drives public support or opposition to refugee integration in low- and middle-income countries? States have increasingly adopted policies promoting the integration of refugees into local communities and labor markets, even as they simultaneously tighten entry restrictions for asylum-seekers. We examine public attitudes towards an incoming refugee integration policy in Kenya, leveraging a unique window after the policy has been passed but before implementation. Using a nationally representative survey and two embedded experiments, we examine whether support varies by policy dimension and refugee nationality. We find widespread support for refugee integration—including work rights, free movement, and shared services—driven largely by humanitarian concerns and perceived economic benefits such as increased business activity and tax revenues. Citizens who share ethnic kinship with refugees or have close personal contact are especially supportive. Concerns center on economic competition and insecurity, and opposition is strongest toward Somali refugees, often associated with Islamic extremism.

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WORKS IN PROGRESS​

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“Stuck in Sanctuary: The Politics and Persistence of Refugee Encampment”. Dissertation book project, tentative title.

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“Examining the Link between Aid and Support for Refugees: USAID Cuts and Kakuma Camp, Kenya.”

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“Why Don’t Refugees Return? The Political Economy of Aid and Repatriation.”

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“Building Business Networks to Strengthen Refugee Economic and Social Integration” (with Annet Adong, Claire Clingain, Jens Hainmueller, Adam Lichtenheld, David Musiime, Alex Wendo, Sigrid Weber, Jessica Wolff, and Andrew Zeitlin). IRC Re:BUiLD project website.

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OTHER WRITINGS ​

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“Kenya Embraces Refugee Integration – and Citizens Are on Board” (with Adam Lichtenheld and Tolossa Asrat).

Forthcoming in The New Humanitarian.