My job market paper, "Chinese Development Lending & the Amplification Effect" examines the effects of Chinese development lending and foreign aid upon the political institutions of recipient countries. Utilizing a variety of estimators on panel data for 100+ low- and middle- income countries over the period of 2002-2017, I explore whether China’s growing presence in this domain assists or impedes the institutional health of recipient countries.

My research areas include applied microeconomics, economic development, and political economy. I'm interested in questions aimed at understanding the conditions that contribute to (as well as interrupt) economic development, social coordination, and human flourishing. My dissertation research investigates the role of China in the developing world, with particular focus upon the following themes: (1) The economic and political impacts of Chinese official lending and foreign aid, and (2) The political economy of China's domestic ethnic policies in Xinjiang towards the Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minority groups.

The latter theme is part of a larger project of papers I'm working on regarding the political economy of cultural assimilation. Along with my co-author, we examine historical and contemporary case studies to examine the incentives and constraints facing state decision-makers with respect to the policy choice of engaging in coercive assimilatory policies as opposed to permitting spontaneous cultural assimilation.  Additional research projects I'm presently working on include the relationship between economic freedom and philanthropy, and the effects of domestic repression on international trade volumes. Methodologically, I rely upon both quantitative and qualitative methods, as these approaches are complements, not substitutes.

Journal Articles