I am political scientist with academic expertise in the political economy of local governments including voting behavior in local elections, local governance responsiveness, local state capacity, and field research and survey methods. While my research has expanded to the US and Mexico in recent years, I have regional specialization on India and am currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. Following from my time in industry, I also have a research interest in misinformation, online violence and incitement, and hate speech and its impact on attitudes and norms. I continue to conduct research on am a research adviser at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Community Change, and Senior Fellow at Tech Global Institute. I am also a contributor to the Trust and Safety Teaching Consortium at Stanford University and active member of the Integrity Institute.
My academic research focuses on representation and responsiveness at the level of local elected governments in rural India (gram panchayats) using fieldwork and cross-referenced surveys and behavioral measurement. Specifically I examine the implications of the high-information context of local elections in India on vote choice, accountability, and government responsiveness to citizens’ requests. My academic work has been published in Electoral Studies, Party Politics, and Perspectives in Politics, and has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the American Political Science Association, and Pitzer College. Ongoing and future research on India examines local government capacity, the relationship between local politicians and bureaucrats, vote preferences in local elections, and social and climate policy implementation. Other research looks at local responsiveness in Mexico; public opinion surrounding the implementation of climate policies in the US; and misinformation in local elections in the U.S.
In 2019, I joined the Civic Integrity Team at Meta where I conducted international survey research, fieldwork, and large-scale qualitative research on online content that may contribute to violence and incitement and hate in the Global South. My research included fieldwork and remote research in India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Bangladesh, among other countries, and shaped policies that reduced the spread of harmful content and rumors in the global south. See my portfolio here for details. Since leaving Meta, I have conducted research as a Research Adviser and independent consultant with non-profit and research organizations focused on democracy, elections, and disinformation including National Democratic Institute, Community Change, and The Global Institute.