Research Interests
I have a wide ranging area of research interests, but they are all related to international relations with linkages to international conflict.
Arms Transfers
The primary focus of my research is arm transfers between states. I examine how security and economic considerations of exporters and importers are balanced for the trade to persist, the role of human rights in export decision-making, why arms importers change their suppliers or undertake domestic production, and why non-democratic leaders import different types of major weapon systems.
I have also expanded beyond dyadic arms transfers to look at the effect of major weapon systems on conflict processes. This research area includes examining arms transfers as a form of intervention and as tools of coercion to get belligerents to engage in mediation.
To aid my research on the arms trade I created a dataset based on SIPRI's "Arms Trade Register" adding in the specific characteristics of individual models (e.g. range, speed, armament, etc.) by using Jane's Defence databases and yearbooks.
Another area of my research is the decision-making process by the United States to provide military aid vs arms sales (or neither) to other states. I also look at the differences between military aid and foreign aid allocation. To move beyond traditional studies of military aid I separate out military aid by type (weapons, training, base construction, etc).
A new area of research I am conducting -- and being funded by the British International Studies Association -- is gathering documents from the National Archive on British arms transfer decision-making.
British Servicemember Deaths During the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Since being based in the UK I have also gained interest on the linkages between servicemember deaths, media coverage, and effects on public opinion. I am in the mid-stages of pre-processing ~35-50,000 newspaper articles published between 2001 and 2015 for automated content analysis in order to determine if (and how) the tone of media coverage shifted over time during the wars. This project will be the basis for seeking funding for a larger project on how deaths and the media coverage that followed relates to public opinion and voter behavior shifts.
Conflict Processes
I also have an interest in conflict processes and have been conducting research with Randy Siverson on timing of dispute initiation based on the type of leader a state has. This research is forthcoming in Conflict Management and Peace Science and additional projects are being finalized.
Older Research
I also have an interest in refugee security; particularly within refugee camps in Africa. I have published an article in The Journal of Refugee Studies on refugee camp security. Additionally, I have done work with Randy Siverson on the effect of corruption on individuals' lifespans that is published in International Studies Quarterly.
Arms Transfers
The primary focus of my research is arm transfers between states. I examine how security and economic considerations of exporters and importers are balanced for the trade to persist, the role of human rights in export decision-making, why arms importers change their suppliers or undertake domestic production, and why non-democratic leaders import different types of major weapon systems.
I have also expanded beyond dyadic arms transfers to look at the effect of major weapon systems on conflict processes. This research area includes examining arms transfers as a form of intervention and as tools of coercion to get belligerents to engage in mediation.
To aid my research on the arms trade I created a dataset based on SIPRI's "Arms Trade Register" adding in the specific characteristics of individual models (e.g. range, speed, armament, etc.) by using Jane's Defence databases and yearbooks.
Another area of my research is the decision-making process by the United States to provide military aid vs arms sales (or neither) to other states. I also look at the differences between military aid and foreign aid allocation. To move beyond traditional studies of military aid I separate out military aid by type (weapons, training, base construction, etc).
A new area of research I am conducting -- and being funded by the British International Studies Association -- is gathering documents from the National Archive on British arms transfer decision-making.
British Servicemember Deaths During the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Since being based in the UK I have also gained interest on the linkages between servicemember deaths, media coverage, and effects on public opinion. I am in the mid-stages of pre-processing ~35-50,000 newspaper articles published between 2001 and 2015 for automated content analysis in order to determine if (and how) the tone of media coverage shifted over time during the wars. This project will be the basis for seeking funding for a larger project on how deaths and the media coverage that followed relates to public opinion and voter behavior shifts.
Conflict Processes
I also have an interest in conflict processes and have been conducting research with Randy Siverson on timing of dispute initiation based on the type of leader a state has. This research is forthcoming in Conflict Management and Peace Science and additional projects are being finalized.
Older Research
I also have an interest in refugee security; particularly within refugee camps in Africa. I have published an article in The Journal of Refugee Studies on refugee camp security. Additionally, I have done work with Randy Siverson on the effect of corruption on individuals' lifespans that is published in International Studies Quarterly.
