My Research

Peer Reviewed Publications (Ordered by Publication Date)

[8] “Aid for Nonaggression.” (2025) in Conflict Management and Peace Science. (pdf version here)

[7] “An Undergraduate Degree in ‘Data for Political Research’: High in Demand and Student Value but Low in Supply.” (2025) With Paul Djupe in PS: Political Science and Politics.

[6] “Connect First, then Suppress: Chinese vs. Western Communication Development Projects and Internet Freedom.” (2025) With Yujeong Yang, Lucie Lu, and Xinle Jia in Studies in Comparative International Development.

[5] “Attention Versus Handshakes: Pathways of Influence in China’s Foreign Aid and Loans.” (2024) With Lucie Lu in Journal of International Development.

[4] “Elusive Collaboration? The Determinants of Lead Donorship in International Development.” (2024) in The Review of International Organizations.

[3] “How Reducing Documentation Burdens Impacts Equity in Program Access: The Case of Small Business Covid-19 Relief Funding.” (2023) With Elizabeth Bell and Heather Kappes in Public Administration Review.

[2] “Gender in the Pulpit: The Differences in Speaking Style for Men and Women.” (2019) With Ryan Burge in The Journal of Communication and Religion.

[1] “Is Social Media a Digital Pulpit? How Evangelical Leaders Use Twitter to Encourage the Faithful and Publicize Their Work.” (2019) With Ryan Burge in Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture.

Book Chapters (Ordered by Publication Date)

[2] “World Bank.” (2023) With Matthew Winters in Handbook of International Orgnaizations: Theories, Concepts, and Empirical Insights. Eds. Katja Freistein, Julia Leininger, and Silke Weinlich. De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

[1] “Illinois 10th Congressional District: Re-rematch in Chicago Suburbs.” (2018) With Jeffrey Ashley in The Roads to Congress 2016. Eds. Sean D. Foreman and Marcia L. Godwin. Palgrave Macmillan.

Selected Works in Progress (Alphabetical Order)

“Alignment, Aid, and Aggression: Bringing Strategic Interdependence into the Two-Good Theory of Foreign Policy” [Working Paper]

“An Actuary Walks into the War Room: How a Model from Actuarial Science Can Help Forecast the Deadliness of War” [Working Paper]

“An Order of Magnitude: Insights on International Order Collapse from a Dynamic Network Model of Order Formation” [Working Paper] [PDF]

“Leaders Unleashed: The Importance of Constraints on Hawkish Leaders” [Working Paper]

“The Measurement of Christian Nationalism in Broader Perspective: A Systematic Reevaluation” (Conditionally Accepted at Politics and Religion) with Paul A. Djupe, Brooklyn E. Walker, Anand E. Sokhey, Jacob R. Neiheisel, and Andrew R. Lewis

[Note: All working papers are available upon request.]

Software

I have developed a number of software packages for R. You can learn more about them here.

Public Scholarship

I publish a weekly newsletter called Foreign Figures in which I offer data-driven takes on international relations and world affairs, AI in education and research, and updates on my published research. I also have contributed to Religion in Public and Democracy Paradox. I host a blog here on my professional site, too, where I occasionally post about statistics and programming in R.