Research

Published Work

“Meet the Press: Gendered Conversational Norms in Televised Political Discussion,” with Jon Green, Kelsey Shoub, Jared Edgerton, Mallory Wagner, and Skyler Cranmer (Journal of Politics, Ahead of Print)

Abstract: Televised political commentary offers a prominent venue for elites to interact with one another, modeling political talk for large numbers of viewers. When do televised discussions between political pundits reproduce or mitigate gender inequality? Extending prior work on descriptive representation and decision rules in formal deliberative settings, we examine the participatory consequences of gender composition and conversational norms on over 6,000 informal, panel-style discussions that aired on American television news between 2000 and 2017. We find that on “debate-style” programs that foster majoritarian conversational norms, women speak more and are shown greater respect as their share of the discussion group increases. These relationships are attenuated on shows with consensus-oriented conversational norms. Our findings highlight how certain features of political television programming—namely a lack of descriptive representation and a focus on conflict—may contribute to gender inequality, setting problematic behavioral norms for the public to emulate.

“Elusive consensus: Polarization in elite communication on the COVID-19 pandemic,” Science Advances, 2020, 6(28), with Jon Green, Jared Edgerton, Kelsey Shoub, and Skyler Cranmer

Abstract: Cues sent by political elites are known to influence public attitudes and behavior. Polarization in elite rhetoric may hinder effective responses to public health crises, when accurate information and rapid behavioral change can save lives. We examine polarization in cues sent to the public by current members of the U.S. House and Senate during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, measuring polarization as the ability to correctly classify the partisanship of tweets’ authors based solely on the text and the dates they were sent. We find that Democrats discussed the crisis more frequently–emphasizing threats to public health and American workers–while Republicans placed greater emphasis on China and businesses. Polarization in elite discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in mid-February—weeks after the first confirmed case in the United States—and continued into March. These divergent cues correspond with a partisan divide in the public’s early reaction to the crisis

Working Papers

“The Mobilizing Effects of Aggressive Policing: Evidence from Anti-Gang Crackdowns” (Job market paper)

Abstract: Aggressive, zero tolerance policing exposes many Americans to high levels of police surveillance and coercion. Yet little is known about how these tactics affect voting in the broader communities they target. I overcome difficulties in identifying the causal effect of aggressive policing on turnout by exploiting hyperlocal variation in exposure to a series of geographically targeted, anti-gang crackdowns in Los Angeles. Using administrative data on voting, a geocoded panel survey, and a within-neighborhoods, difference-in-difference design, I show that these crackdowns led to large, durable increases in political participation. These mobilization effects are concentrated among Black and Latino residents, who became significantly more likely to report police discrimination. I find corresponding increases in support for criminal justice reform, but minimal changes to perceived crime and safety. These results suggest that communities targeted by harsh police crackdowns may mobilize to resist these policies when viewed as ineffective and racially targeted.

“Can Police Reform Change Voting Behavior? Evidence from the Jacksonville Hotspots Experiment”

Abstract: In many cities across the United States, recent reforms have sought to reduce the use of heavy-handed police enforcement and coercion, yet little is known about the electoral consequences of these changes. I study the turnout effects of a randomized policing experiment in Jacksonville that encouraged officers to avoid enforcement actions and address the root causes of crime through community engagement and improved access to social services. Linking administrative voter data to the intervention sites allows me to isolate the causal effect of this reform on turnout, and directly compare the effect to a parallel intervention focused on increased surveillance and patrols. Analyses of two additional quasi-experimental interventions allow me to explore mechanisms and assess the generalizability of the findings. Together, these analyses offer key insights into when and how changes in policing can alter attitudes toward law enforcement and encourage voting in highly policed communities.

In Progress

“Criminal Justice and Voter Behavior in Local Elections,” with Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, John Sides, and Christopher Warshaw

“Pork on the Menu: Local Elections and Inequality in the Provision of Public Goods”

“Seeing Politics: A Guide to Computer Vision in Political Science,” with Skyler Cranmer