Research
DISSERTATION DESCRIPTION:
State sponsorship of terrorism, where a government deliberately provides resources and material support to a terrorist organization, is common in the international system. By conceptualizing state sponsorship as a relationship between a principal and agent, I develop a consistent theoretical model that explains why states pursue this foreign policy strategy, as well as how they rationally attempt to minimize the inherent risks of delegating to violent non-state actors. I test my model by using a novel dataset on sponsorship behaviors that improves on the range, detail, and temporality of previously used measurements. My dissertation is organized into three distinct papers, the first of which examines why states choose to delegate to terrorists, the second which organizations they are likely to support, and the third how they attempt to control these unpredictable actors.
UNDER REVIEW:
“Delegating Terror: Principal-Agent Based Decision-Making in State Sponsorship of Terrorism.” (Revise and Resubmit)
ORIGINAL DATASETS:
With Seden Akcinaroglu, Carlos Moreno Leon, Hande Ogutcu, Evgeny Sedashov, and Efe Tokdemir. “Comparative Rebel Manifesto Project.”
Description: This collaborative dataset codes the demands, constituency, and ideology of rebel groups and how they change over time, collected from primary sources such as manifestos, interviews, and public statements.
“Dangerous Delegation: State Sponsorship of Terrorism during 1970-2008.”
Description: This dataset builds upon and improves pre-existing quantitative and qualitative records of state sponsorship of terrorism, creating a new dataset that provides details on sponsor states, duration of sponsorship, and sponsorship characteristics.
WORKING PAPERS:
“The Best Terrorist for the Job: Selection Motivations in Middle Eastern State Sponsorship of Terrorism”
“Shirking in Terror: Agency Loss and Control Mechanisms in State Sponsorship of Terrorism”
“Threat-Based Decision Making and Unintended Consequences: The Determinants and Effects of Organization-Targeted Counter-Terrorism Sanctions in the U.S. and U.K.”
CONFERENCES and PRESENTATIONS
Peace Science Society Annual Meeting, 2017
Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Annual Conference, 2017
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2017
International Studies Association Annual Conference, 2017
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2016
International Studies Association Annual Conference, 2016
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2015
Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2014
ISSS-ISAC Annual Conference, 2011
OP-EDs and OTHER NON-ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
May 2017. “Is MS-13 a Foreign Terrorist Organization?” Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research.
April 2017. “Rethinking the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.” Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research.
With Shawn Donahue. April, 2016. "Open Letter to the University: GSO Senators Respond to Voluntary Fees." Guest Column in Pipe Dream.
State sponsorship of terrorism, where a government deliberately provides resources and material support to a terrorist organization, is common in the international system. By conceptualizing state sponsorship as a relationship between a principal and agent, I develop a consistent theoretical model that explains why states pursue this foreign policy strategy, as well as how they rationally attempt to minimize the inherent risks of delegating to violent non-state actors. I test my model by using a novel dataset on sponsorship behaviors that improves on the range, detail, and temporality of previously used measurements. My dissertation is organized into three distinct papers, the first of which examines why states choose to delegate to terrorists, the second which organizations they are likely to support, and the third how they attempt to control these unpredictable actors.
UNDER REVIEW:
“Delegating Terror: Principal-Agent Based Decision-Making in State Sponsorship of Terrorism.” (Revise and Resubmit)
ORIGINAL DATASETS:
With Seden Akcinaroglu, Carlos Moreno Leon, Hande Ogutcu, Evgeny Sedashov, and Efe Tokdemir. “Comparative Rebel Manifesto Project.”
Description: This collaborative dataset codes the demands, constituency, and ideology of rebel groups and how they change over time, collected from primary sources such as manifestos, interviews, and public statements.
“Dangerous Delegation: State Sponsorship of Terrorism during 1970-2008.”
Description: This dataset builds upon and improves pre-existing quantitative and qualitative records of state sponsorship of terrorism, creating a new dataset that provides details on sponsor states, duration of sponsorship, and sponsorship characteristics.
WORKING PAPERS:
“The Best Terrorist for the Job: Selection Motivations in Middle Eastern State Sponsorship of Terrorism”
“Shirking in Terror: Agency Loss and Control Mechanisms in State Sponsorship of Terrorism”
“Threat-Based Decision Making and Unintended Consequences: The Determinants and Effects of Organization-Targeted Counter-Terrorism Sanctions in the U.S. and U.K.”
CONFERENCES and PRESENTATIONS
Peace Science Society Annual Meeting, 2017
Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Annual Conference, 2017
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2017
International Studies Association Annual Conference, 2017
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2016
International Studies Association Annual Conference, 2016
American Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2015
Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2014
ISSS-ISAC Annual Conference, 2011
OP-EDs and OTHER NON-ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
May 2017. “Is MS-13 a Foreign Terrorist Organization?” Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research.
April 2017. “Rethinking the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.” Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research.
With Shawn Donahue. April, 2016. "Open Letter to the University: GSO Senators Respond to Voluntary Fees." Guest Column in Pipe Dream.
