Books

From Economic Crisis to Reform: IMF Programs in Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Princeton University Press – February 2009.

Journal Articles

"Why No Backsliding? The EU's Impact on Democracy and Governance Before and After Accession” (with Philip Levitz). Forthcoming in Comparative Political Studies.

“Public Goods or Political Pandering: Evidence from IMF Programs in Latin America and Eastern Europe.” Forthcoming in International Studies Quarterly.

“Disenchanted or Discerning: Voter Turnout in Post-Communist Countries” (With Alexander Pacek and Joshua Tucker). The Journal of Politics 71(2): 473-491 (April 2009).

“Crisis in the Eye of the Beholder: Economic Crisis and Partisan Politics in Latin American and East European IMF Programs.” Comparative Political Studies 41(9): 1179-1211 (September 2008).

“Historical Legacies and Post-Communist Regime Change.” –The Journal of Politics 69(4):908-926 (November 2007)

Abstract: This article shows that post-communist regime trajectories have been largely circumscribed by historical legacy differences but the question about which particular legacy matters most is much harder to answer, since statistical results are sensitive to model specification and to the choice of democracy indicator. While some of these discrepancies reflect the inherent limitations of traditional statistical methods, others reflect the different dimensions of democracy captured by different indicators. Therefore, the article contributes to a more nuanced explanation of post-communist democratization by showing that different legacies drive different aspects of democratization. Finally, the results demonstrate that several prominent alternative explanations - initial election outcomes, institutional choices, geographic diffusion, and external conditionality – played a relatively modest role in explaining democratization patterns beyond the constraints imposed by historical legacies.

“Between Historical Legacies and the Promise of Western Integration: Democratic Conditionality after Communism.” East European Politics and Societies 21(4):142-161 (Winter 2007).

Abstract: Since the fall of Communism, external democracy promotion has been most important in “borderline” countries (such as Bulgaria and Romania), which had less favorable structural conditions than the East-Central European front-runners, but where a domestic democratic constituency nevertheless existed and could benefit from Western support. The post-communist intervention history reveals a number of different mechanisms through which the West can support democratization: (1) by promoting democratic attitudes among citizens yearning for Western integration; (2) by shaping the preferences of political elites (both in government and in the opposition); (3) by tilting the domestic power balance in favor of democratic politicians; and (4) by promoting better democratic governance through incentives for public administration reform.

“From Transplants to Hybrids: Exploring Institutional Pathways to Growth.” (With Thad Dunning). Studies in Comparative International Development 38(4) 3-29 (March 2004).

“Romania’s Politics of Dejection.” Journal of Democracy 12(3):156-169 (July 2001).

“Separated at Birth or Separated by Birth: The Communist Successor Parties in Romania and Hungary.” East European Politics and Societies, 13(1):117-147 (Winter 1999).