Alexander Lee Harkness Hall 333, Rochester, NY 14627-0146
[email protected] Professional University of Rochester, Rochester, NY Assistant Professor of Political Science
2014 – Present
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 2013 – 2014 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law Education Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA Ph.D. in Political Science
2007 – 2013
Research interests: The Political Economy of Developing Countries, Terrorism, Colonialism, South Asia.
Committee Members: David Laitin (Chairman), Stephen Haber, Saumitra Jha, James Fearon, Thomas Blom Hansen
Yale University, New Haven, CT 2002 – 2006 B.A. Cum Laude in History and Political Science with distinction in both majors Research Peer Reviewed Publications: “Comparing British and French Colonial Legacies: A Discontinuity Analysis of Cameroon” (With Kenneth Schultz) Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 2012, 7: 1–46. See blog discussion at Aidwatchers and Foreign Policy.
“Who Becomes a Terrorist?: Poverty, Education, and the Origins of Political Violence.” World Politics, 2011, 63: 203-245.
Book Project: “The Four Indias: The Social Origins of Underdevelopment in the Post-Colonial World” This project examines why some regions of India have dramatically different development policies from others, despite very similar formal institutions. It develops a typology of Indian regions, showing that they are divided not between “good performers” and “bad performers” but between different sets of policy goals. It shows that this variation is a product of the relative distribution of three important sources of social power—Land, education and group numbers—with groups that benefit from multiple sources of inequality being able to influence policy to favor their group. The research draws on a large number of new quantitative sources, both historical and modern, on Indian social dynamics, electoral behavior and government policy, and a set of detailed cases studies of particular regions.
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Working Papers: “The Politics of Uneven Mobilization: Caste in Colonial India”
“From Hierarchy to Ethnicity: The Institutional Origins of Ranked Identities”
“Redistributive Colonialism: The Long Term Legacy of International Conflict in India”
“Empty Thrones: The Long Term Impact of Political Gender Bias in Medieval Europe” (With Avidit Acharya)
“The Social Logic of Terrorism.” (With Paul Kenny)
The Political Economy of Caste: Party, Identity and Public Spending in India.”
“Leadership and Development: Education, Embeddedness and the Performance of Indian Bureaucrats.” (With Rikhil Bhavani)
“How (and How Not) to use Archival Sources in Political Science”
Other Publications: Book Review of Atul Kohli’s Poverty Amid Plenty in the New India. (Cambridge UP, 2012.) Comparative Political Studies. July 2013 vol. 46: 7, p. 883-886.
“Chronology” (With Courtney J. Martin) and “Ten Views in the Island of Antigua” (with Tim Barringer). In Tim Barringer, Gillian Forrester and Barbaro Martinez-Ruiz (eds.) Art and Emancipation in Colonial Jamaica: Issac Mendes Belisario and his Worlds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.
Research Related Employment Research Assistant, Yale Political Science Department (Prof. James C. Scott), 2006-2007
Research Assistant, Yale Political Science Department (Prof. Nicholas Sambanis), 2005-2006
Teaching Courses Taught (University of Rochester) PSC/IR 273: The Politics of Terrorism. Fall 2014.
PSC 565: Political Economy of Development [Graduate]. Fall 2014
Courses TAed (Stanford University)
PS 110: War and Peace in US Foreign Policy [Writing Intensive]. Spring 2009
PS 118: US Relations with Iran. Fall 2009.
PS 141: Global Politics of Human Rights. Winter 2009, Winter 2010
PS 4: Introduction to Comparative Politics. Fall 2008
3 Selected Conference Presentations “Caste and Distribution in India.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting. (Chicago 2013)
“The Social Logic of Terrorism” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting. (Chicago 2013)
“The Political Economy of Caste: Party, Identity and Public Spending in India.” State Capacity in South Asia. (Berkeley 2013)
"Caste, Status and Power in Colonial India." American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (New Orleans 2012)[Cancelled]
“Leadership and Development: Education, Embeddedness and the Performance of Indian Bureaucrats.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (Seattle 2011)
“Comparing British and French Colonial Legacies: A Discontinuity Analysis of Cameroon.” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (Seattle 2011)
“Who Becomes a Terrorist?: Poverty, Education, and the Origins of Political Violence.” Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting (Chicago 2009)
Grants and Honors O'Bie-Shultz Dissertation Writing Fellowship in International Studies (2012)
Stanford South Asia Center Travel Fellowship (2012)
Stanford Graduate Research Opportunity Fellowship (2010)
Robert Gries Prize, for the best senior essay on the history of a non-western country (2006)
Trumbull College Richter Fellowship (2004, 2005)
Bates Fellowship (2005)
Yale Southeast Asia Studies Council Fellowship (2004, 2005)
Yale College Dean’s Office Fellowship (2004)
Professional Service Referee for American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, World Politics, Journal of Politics, International Organization, Journal of Peace Research, Religion and Politics, and Terrorism and Political Violence
Stanford Political Science Department Comparative Politics Workshop Student Coordinator (2009-2010)
Stanford University Library Committee (2008-2009)
Languages English, Hindi, Spanish (Elementary)