Department of Government

Abrams, Sam
sabrams@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation applies a sociological concept- embeddedness- to the question of voting and attempts to explain participation in comparative context. In terms of interests- while my dissertation is less formal in a methodological sense, I tend to do a lot of political economy and formal theory. So, in terms of interests, I do work on education policy, voting, political participation, Congress, and American culture, values, and identity.

Blackwell, Matt
blackwel@fas.harvard.edu
I enjoy questions in the area of public opinion, voting and elite influence of mass opinion in American politics. But at the same time I can't quite shake this enjoyment of comparative political economy and ethnic politics. My focus is political methodology (aka statistics) and formal theory (aka game theory), but I'm open to all sorts of research.

Chapman, Suzanna
schapman@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation research focuses on immigration policies of wealthy, democratic countries. Currently I am working with Prof. Michael Hiscox on the Harvard Immigration Policy Project, a cross-national, longitudinal dataset describing the immigration policies of OECD countries since 1960.  More broadly, my research interests include international migration, forced migration and refugee policy, citizenship, transnational networks and remittance transfers, humanitarian/development aid and interventions, and international cooperation on these issues.  Also of interest are the politics surrounding welfare programs or labor market regulations in prosperous democratic countries. 

Chattopadhyay, Jacqueline
jchattop@fas.harvard.edu
I focus on American politics and social policy from 1960 to present, particularly on public opinion. My dissertation (tentatively) examines the role of public attitudes in relation to the trajectory of U.S. health insurance policy. I have experience doing both quantitative analysis of secondary data and content analysis of textual materials to build original data sets. I also have experience and interest in studying racial and ethnic policies, and immigrant political incorporation in the U.S. I'd enjoy advising a thesis that falls into any of these areas.

Chingos, Matt
chingos@fas.harvard.edu
My research interests are education policy and the economics of education. I would be glad to advise a quantitative thesis on any topic related to education (my research has focused on the United States, but I could advise a project that focused on another country). I would also be interested in advising other policy-related projects, such as the empirical evaluation of a social program.

Coe, Andrew
acoe@fas.harvard.edu
My interests are in international relations and comparative political economy. My dissertation will study the ways in which external interactions between states (trade, investment, war) affect their internal development (democratization, civil conflict, economic growth). I tend to use game theory and statistical methods to study these questions. I'm also comfortable advising theses in international security and defense policy.

Creamer, Cosette
creamer@fas.harvard.edu
Dissertation Topic: Judicial decision-making processes in international courts. Research Interests: International law; international human rights and criminal law; international institutions and cooperation; judicial politics.

Datta, Pritviraj
pdatta@fas.harvard.edu
I am interested in studying the role of constitutions in civic republican thought. In the course of my dissertation, I hope to look at the constitutional arguments of theorists in the republican tradition, particularly in Rome, Florence, England, revolutionary America and in contemporary political theory. Thus, I am chiefly interested in aspects of the history of political thought, contemporary republican theory, and constitutional theory. Other areas of interest include public law and legal philosophy.

Feinstein, Brian
bdfeinst@fas.harvard.edu
I study American political institutions, and have conducted research on topics including Congress, political parties, campaigns & elections, redistricting, partisan realignments, political history, congressional-executive relations, and other separation-of-powers issues. My dissertation examines congressional oversight of the federal bureaucracy, utilizing a variety of methodological approaches (e.g., quantitative methods, interviews, and archival research). I'd be interested in advising theses on any of the above topics.

Fortner, Michael
fortner@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation compares the development of racial politics in London and New York, by examining the political and social factors influencing nonwhite political elites and nonwhite voluntary associations in both cities. Generally, my work studies the intersection of American political development and political philosophy -- particularly in the areas of race, ethnicity, and class.

Frasheri, Ermal
efrasheri@law.harvard.edu
I am an S.J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School .  My dissertation is in the area of Law and Development, and in particular I analyze the legal regimes of regional integration and development. I would be happy to advise any thesis writing students in the areas of political economy, legal theory, European Union, and international economic law.

Garrett, Amanda
agarrett@fas.harvard.edu
My current research interests focus primarily on questions of "Islam in the West", more specifically the institutional, political, and social arrangements that shape the relationship between the Muslim world and the West. Geographically speaking my research spans the Middle East/North Africa, Western Europe and the United States. I have worked extensively on the political economy of North Africa and Western Europe, migration, remittances, right-wing political parties, and immigrant integration and am happy to advise theses on any of these topics, or related themes.

Goldenziel, Jill
jgolden@fas.harvard.edu
I study Comparative Politics. My research interests involve questions of identity, including religion, ethnicity, minority rights, and citizenship.  My primary regional interest is in the Middle East, and I have also done some work on Latin America.  I am a lawyer by training and I am interested in advising theses related to comparative law, international law, or American Constitutional law as well.

Grimmer, Justin
jgrimmer@fas.harvard.edu
Dissertation Topic: I study how political representatives and their constituents communicate with one another.  I develop new statistical methods to automatically analyze the content of thousands of political messages and identify the forces that shape the content of the messages. 
Research Interests: Public Opinion, Political Representation, Political Participation (substantive).  Quantitative methods (Causal Inference, Statistical Analysis of Text, and Bayesian Methods) and Formal Theory (game theory and stochastic models of learning) are also interests. 

Hickey, Emily
ehickey@fas.harvard.edu
My planned dissertation topic examines the effectiveness of various forms of Congressional activity (travel in home districts, mailings, and constituent services) in driving the basis on which their constituents evaluate them. I'd be best suited for advising a thesis in American politics, specifically issues of public opinion, Congress and legislative politics more broadly.  I also have some experience doing more qualitative and archival work, and I'd be willing to advise a thesis of that nature as well.

Hristova, Vessela
vhristov@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation studies how and when the European Union accommodates national diversity in its integration process.  More specifically, I analyze the development and use of mechanisms for differentiated integration in the EU.   I am also broadly interested in post-Communist transition and Central and East European politics.

Ingham, Sean
ingham@fas.harvard.edu
My interests bridge contemporary normative political theory and formal modeling, social choice theory in particular.  My dissertation applies work in democratic theory, distributive justice, and organizational economics to an evaluation of models of worker-managed and worker-owned firms.

Lam, Patrick
plam@fas.harvard.edu
My interests are in political methodology and international and comparative political economy.  I can advise on any theses that intend to use quantitative methods.  My substantive fields of interest include international trade and democratization.

Larson, Jenn
jmlarson@fas.harvard.edu
I am interested in statistical methodology and formal theory, and in applying these techniques to comparative politics and international relations.  I enjoy a range of questions spanning from development to security, especially the role of institutions in these topics.

Lewis, Janet
jilewis@fas.harvard.edu
I study conflict, and am interested in advising theses in comparative politics or international relations on several topics related to conflict and cooperation, including political violence, post-conflict reconstruction, ethnic politics, economic dimensions of conflict, and 3rd party intervention.  My current research focuses on how regional economic inequality impacts conflict outcomes in Africa.

Llaudet, Elena
ellaudet@fas.harvard.edu
My research, thus far, has focused on studying the American education system, exploring its historical conception as well as its current dynamics. I am interested in advising theses on education policy, congress, the presidency, and the courts. I have a solid background in econometrics and statistics, so I would be specially helpful with theses with a quantitative analysis component to them.

Lomazoff, Eric
lomazoff@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation will likely focus on some aspect of the history of constitutional thought in the United States. I would be able to best advise students who are working on theses in areas like (or close to): (1) American political thought, (2) American political and constitutional history, (3) constitutional law, and (4) American political development.

Nall, Clayton
nall@fas.harvard.edu
My research interests are in the areas of American politics and political methodology, with a focus on causal inference using experimental and matching methods. My dissertation will draw upon community-level social network data to estimate how bridging and bonding social capital affect how communities respond to political controversy.

Nitsch, Michael
nitsch@fas.harvard.edu
I am interested in both ancient and modern political philosophy, as well as contemporary democratic theory.  My dissertation uses the history of political thought to explore what role judgments about the moral character of politicians should play in democratic politics.

Paul, Ruxandra
rpaul@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation explores the relationship between European integration and European Union enlargement, focusing in particular on the impact of the recent accession of post-communist Eastern European countries on the European project. Challenging accounts predicated on conventional wisdom, I argue that, by increasing heterogeneity among EU member states, enlargement has actually led to the strengthening of the EU as a geo-political entity. More broadly, I study Comparative Politics. My research interests include European Union politics and governance, the comparative politics of Central and Eastern Europe (especially transitions to democracy and market economy in the region), comparative state-building, international organizations, comparative constitutional law, and civil society. I am also interested in qualitative methods. In the academic year 2008-2009, I will be teaching a course on capitalism and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a class on nation-building and democracy in the development of Europe. I would be happy to advise theses in any of these areas, so please drop me a line if you have any questions, or if you would like to meet up and chat about your research project!

Powell, Brenna Marea
bmpowell@fas.harvard.edu
I study racial and ethnic politics in comparative perspective. I am broadly interested in issues of ethnic identity and conflict, conflict negotiation/resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction. I am interested in these issues globally, but most of my own research focuses on the Americas. I also have a background working in Northern Ireland. My dissertation looks at how political institutions (especially the police and security services) mediate interethnic or interracial relationships; the cases I am using are the United States, Northern Ireland, and Brazil.

Powell, Ellie
enpowell@fas.harvard.edu
I study American politics, and am interested in advising theses on congressional politics, the American presidency, political polarization and campaign finance.  In my dissertation, I examine changing patterns of career advancement and the role of parties in Congress.

Renshon, Jonathan
jrenshon@fas.harvard.edu
My areas of research are: political psychology, decision-making, foreign policy decision-making, leadership and U.S. foreign policy. 

Rithmire, Meg
rithmire@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation is on urban politics and urban economic development in China, and my areas of interest are: Chinese politics, comparative urban studies, social theory, politics of economic development.

Schlozman, Daniel
schlozm@fas.harvard.edu
Dissertation topic: Comparing the entrance of organized labor into the Democratic coalition during the New Deal with that of evangelicals into the GOP during the last generation.
Interests: American politics, especially parties, elections, campaigns; social policy; the nonprofit sector; political history; urban politics, especially Boston.

Schwartz, Claire
cschwart@fas.harvard.edu
I study international political economy and international relations more broadly. In particular, my interests include the politics of globalization, international trade and financial policies and institutions, and the role of corporate codes of conduct regulating labor and environmental standards. My dissertation focuses on the political consequences of the rise of private regulation of industry.

Sen, Maya
msen@fas.harvard.edu
My research interests are in American politics, primarily judicial behavior and the legal system, but also in race and immigration, political behavior, and public opinion.  Because I have a law degree, I am happy to advise theses that ask legal questions, including thesis that focus on doctrinal issues or questions of normative legal significance. I am also available to advise theses that focus on more traditional American political science topics, including those that rely on data analysis and statistical techniques.

Shen, Francis
fxshen@fas.harvard.edu
I am a G-7 in the Government Department, and a recent graduate of Harvard Law School. I have advised a number of theses in American politics in the past, and in 2007-08 I ran the American sections of Gov99. I am generally comfortable advising topics that involve law or policy in the United States. I have co-authored a book on urban education ("The Education Mayor"), and a second book about inequality and American wartime casualties ("The Casualty Gap") is now under review. My dissertation focuses on the politics of rape and sexual assault law in the U.S. I can advise qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method theses. For more on my research, see: http://www.fxshen.com/research.html

Tontiplaphol, Don
tontipl@fas.harvard.edu
My research aims to bridge three fields: the interpretation of Aristotle, the philosophy of social science, and meta-ethics. To this end, I want to rehabilitate certain parts of Aristotle's theory of social explanation and then apply such findings to current problems or controversies concerning the relation of evaluative claims to descriptive claims. I draw on figures like John McDowell, David Charles, Jennifer Hornsby, Charles Taylor, Richard Sorabji, and Alasdair MacIntyre. With respect to Aristotle, I hope to examine his employment of the concept of nature in his metaphysical and scientific works in order to excuse him from the charge of the naturalistic fallacy in his ethical and political works. Areas of Interest: Ancient thought, especially Plato and Aristotle; philosophy of social science; meta-ethics; and contemporary issues in egalitarian justice and perfectionist theories of political authority.

Van Dyck, Brandon
bpvan@fas.harvard.edu
My dissertation will investigate why African-descended populations in Latin America have a relatively weak sense of collective identity and do not, by and large, respond to activists' calls for "black" mobilization. I would feel comfortable, however, advising any thesis in comparative politics (as long as it’s not too methods-heavy) or political theory/history of political thought. The latter were my main sub-fields of interest as an undergraduate at Princeton and a Master's student at Cambridge.

Vodopyanov, Anya
anyav@fas.harvard.edu
My main areas of interest are political economy of political and economic development, informal institutions, conflict, and religious movements, and my regional expertise is in the Middle East and former Soviet Union, but I would be happy to advise on most areas of the developing world.

Yom, Sean
yom@fas.harvard.edu
My specialty is the comparative politics of the Middle East, although I have substantial knowledge of security studies and foreign policy analysis within IR as well.  My dissertation explores authoritarian regime stability in the Middle East, focusing on the ways that patron-client ties between domestic rulers and foreign powers can structure the development of individual states over time.  I have substantial training in democratization theory and Islamic politics, and in the past have advised theses on religious movements and terrorism.

Zhang, Lili
lzhang@fas.harvard.edu
My field is IR, Security Studies, and my dissertation focuses explores the puzzle of war termination - why do wars last as long as they do and what brings them to an end. I am interested in integrating psychological approaches to international relations with more traditional rationalist and domestic politics. My empirical focus is American foreign policy and decision-making, but my geographical areas of interest also include the Middle East and China.

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