About

My teaching, research and writing lie at the intersection of public policy, economic development, civil war, political participation, and survey and statistical methods. So (most of the time) does my blogging. I’m presently an Assistant Professor of Political Science & Economics at Yale University.

A CV is here. I have a PhD in Economics from UC Berkeley, a MPA/ID from Harvard’s Kennedy School, and a BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo.

In my pre-academic life I was a business consultant and (believe it or not) an accountant for Deloitte & Touche. But the best jobs I ever held were (a) rock-climbing instructor, and (b) music store salesman. (I have become considerably less cool since that time.)

In the end, though, my work ethic and habits derive from my first employment ever: two years cooking at a vaguely militant KFC outlet. After a manager resembling Hulk Hogan forces you to clean grease traps, you can handle pretty much anything.

I’m presently a consultant and adviser to the World Bank (Human Development Group), the UN Peacebuilding Fund, Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister, and Liberia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. (You would be surprised at the similarities to cleaning a grease trap.)

Other affiliations:

• Affiliate, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
• Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Development (CGD)
• Resident Fellow, Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies
• Board Member, Journal of Globalization and Development (JGD)
• Faculty Member, Yale Economic Growth Center (EGC)
• Member, International Growth Center (IGC)
• Senior Affiliate, Households in Conflict Network (HiCN)
• Member, Experiments in Governance and Politics (EGAP)
• Statistical Consultant, International Journal on Transitional Justice (IJTJ)

My address, contact information, and e-mail policy are all here.