Thank you for visiting my research page. I have research projects on several topics. The majority of my research combines the study of economics and politics. One of my more prominent lines of research is on intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). My article in World Politics examined the effects of IGOs on interstate conflict, whereas my article in International Interactions examined the state determinants of IGO joining. A current project examines the effects of regional integration agreements on economic growth. My other published articles and working papers encompass international political economy. I have examined the effects of state development on interstate conflict in Journal of Peace Research. My work on the role of international investment, monetary cooperation, and interstate conflict has been published in International Organization. Current projects include the effects of missing trade data on conflict models, the economic determinants of immigration policies (cross-nationally), the effects of food deprivation on civil war, and lateral pressure from economic growth on war. Some of my future research will also study the effects of economics on religious views and terrorism.
Articles
A Re-assessment of Liberal Pacifism at the Monadic Level of Analysis, Conflict Management and Peace Science (2008)
Are democracies are generally peaceful? The literature was in the past contradictory, although now there...
Intergovernmental Organization Memberships: Examining Political Community and the Attributes of International Organizations (with Timothy Nordstrom), International Interactions (2008)
Why are states jointly members in certain intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) but not others? Despite the...
The Effects of Economic Crisis, Domestic Discord, and State Efficacy on the Decision to Initiate Interstate Conflict, Politics and Policy (2007)
Studies of diversionary conflict typically claim that lower rates of economic growth and domestic unrest...
Violent Adolescence: State Development and the Propensity for Militarized Interstate Conflict (with David Sobek), Journal of Peace Research (2005)
This paper examines how economic development affects interstate conflict. We hypothesize a non-linear relationship between...
Do Intergovernmental Organizations Promote Peace? (with Erik Gartzke and Tim Nordstrom), World Politics (2004)
Other
If They Only Had Cake: The Effect of Food Supply on Civil War Onset, 1960-1999 (with David Sobek), Journal of Politics (2007)
Poor states are more likely to experience civil conflict, but what about poverty places their...