I am a Professor in the Department of Politics at Princeton University, where I conduct research and teach in the field of comparative politics, and currently serve as Associate Chair of the department. I am also a faculty affiliate in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs.

My research is concerned with understanding the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict, and the determinants of good governance and policy-making in low- and middle-income countries. I also write and teach on political methodology, including concept analysis and measurement, and strategies for multi-method causal inference. My research projects have included studies of the politics of state-building, taxation, policy responses to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and tobacco control, policy preference formation, ethnic violence, multi-level governance, and the relationship between information and public accountability. Regionally, I have tended to focus on the politics of Southern Africa, especially South Africa, but I routinely employ comparative analyses with developing countries in other parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia.

I am a member of the executive committee of the Program in Global Health and Health Policy and the Program in African Studies. I also serve on the boards of Princeton in Africa and the Southern African Legal Services Foundation; and the international advisory board of the African School of Economics.

I also write a BLOG about African governance and development, which you can read by clicking here.