Research.
I am interested in the microdynamics of various forms of political conflict, from nonviolent civil resistance to violent insurgency. I draw on network concepts and theory as well as social theory more broadly to understand the contentious choices of actors, and how variation in social embeddedness can affect important outcomes such as the fragmentation and cohesion of organizations, the extent to which local populations accept the presence of armed groups, the ability of armed groups to serve local populations, and the intensity of violence during conflict.
Current projects.
At the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy, I work on the Major Episodes of Contention (MEC) data collection project. The MEC data project uses open source news reports to identify major episodes of mass nonviolent, violent, and "mixed" forms of contention from 1945 through the present to enable researchers and policymakers to better understand the origins and outcomes of contentious behavior. Find out more here.
Publications and Other Work
Peer-Reviewed Monographs
The Politics of Terror, with Erica Chenoweth. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
“International Terrorism” in Reveron, Gvosdev, & Cloud, eds., The Oxford Handbook of U.S. National Security. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)
Working Projects
“When do Ties Bind? Foreign Fighters, Social Embeddedness, and Violence against Civilians.” (Conditional Acceptance, Journal of Peace Research)
"It Takes Two: Combatant-Civilian Embeddedness and the Emergence of Systems of Exchange during Civil War."
“Look who’s talking: Foreign Fighters, Language Networks, and the Fragmentation of Militant Organizations.”
“How Should we Fight? The Effects of Decentralization on Strategies of Contention.”
“The Major Episodes of Contention (MEC) Data Project: An Introduction” (with Erica Chenoweth, Jonathan Pinckney, and Joel Day)
Selected Other Publications & Commentary
Struggles from Below: Human Rights Struggles by Domestic Actors. With Erica Chenoweth, Tricia Olsen, Kyleanne Hunter, Jonathan Pinckney, and Heidi Reynolds-Stenson. Washington, DC: USAID Democracy Fellows and Grants Program. 2017.
“A Role for Ex-Combatants in Post-Conflict Reconciliation.” Political Violence at a Glance (October 31, 2017)
The Politics of Terror, with Erica Chenoweth. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
“International Terrorism” in Reveron, Gvosdev, & Cloud, eds., The Oxford Handbook of U.S. National Security. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)
Working Projects
“When do Ties Bind? Foreign Fighters, Social Embeddedness, and Violence against Civilians.” (Conditional Acceptance, Journal of Peace Research)
"It Takes Two: Combatant-Civilian Embeddedness and the Emergence of Systems of Exchange during Civil War."
“Look who’s talking: Foreign Fighters, Language Networks, and the Fragmentation of Militant Organizations.”
“How Should we Fight? The Effects of Decentralization on Strategies of Contention.”
“The Major Episodes of Contention (MEC) Data Project: An Introduction” (with Erica Chenoweth, Jonathan Pinckney, and Joel Day)
Selected Other Publications & Commentary
Struggles from Below: Human Rights Struggles by Domestic Actors. With Erica Chenoweth, Tricia Olsen, Kyleanne Hunter, Jonathan Pinckney, and Heidi Reynolds-Stenson. Washington, DC: USAID Democracy Fellows and Grants Program. 2017.
“A Role for Ex-Combatants in Post-Conflict Reconciliation.” Political Violence at a Glance (October 31, 2017)