I investigate the evolution of moral norms and the influence those norms have on various social policies. In my current research I use laboratory and survey experiments to explore the relationship between peoples' understanding of justice and economic desert and their tolerance for economic inequality. I am conducting additional studies on strategic group decision making, spatial voting models, voting heuristics, informal institutions, and the subregional effects of carbon taxation. My early work focused on the introduction of market forces to traditionally public services, with a special focus on school choice in American public education. I am broadly interested in the distribution of influence and benefits in collective-action scenarios. For more information, see my academic cv.
moral norms and social institutions
In my dissertation I measure how people think about and define economic justice and desert. (Not this, or this, but this.) Moral considerations help to establish a regularity of social behavior and can be modeled as institutions, which influence people's perceptions of economic inequality and support for redistribution.
heuristics and decision-making
Nicholas D'Amico and I study the interaction of political knowledge, sophistication, and voting heuristics. [conference paper]
experimental economics
Ursula Kreitmair and I use economic experiments to study the production of public goods and the ability of groups to strategically manage shared resources. [grant]
credibility gap and informal institutions
Martha Wilfahrt and I examine state-society dynamics behind efforts to encourage behavior change during the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, when many traditional practices posed public risks.
majority rule prediction
With Bill Bianco and others I conduct experimental spatial voting analysis to predict majority rule outcomes. [published paper] [working paper]
other ongoing work
market reform in education
multi-dimensional voting [working paper]
scalable energy-economy models [published paper]