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Welcome! I am an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.

My research examines how international actors try to aid democracy, promote women’s representation, and influence elections globally. A more recent interest is the politics of climate change. I am the author of two books: The Taming of Democracy Assistance: Why Democracy Promotion Does Not Confront Dictators (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Monitors and Meddlers: How Foreign Actors Influence Local Trust in Elections (Cambridge University Press, 2022) with Lauren Prather. My work has also appeared in journals such as the American Political Science Review and International Organization and been covered in outlets including the Economist and Washington Post.

I received my Ph.D. from Princeton University. Prior to coming to Penn, I held faculty positions at Yale University and Temple University and fellowships at Perry World House and the Harvard Kennedy School.