Research

My main research agenda focuses on two aspects of bureaucracies and bureaucratic organization.

First, I am interested in bureaucracies as a direct point of intersection between state and society, concentrating in particular on the incentives faced by bureaucrats. I am particularly interested in the role of different incentives for bureaucratic performance in authoritarian regimes. I have studied that question in the context of the Stasi and am currently investigating it in a more cross-cutting setting of transitions to democracy.

Second, I study how their organization and operations advance bureaucracies’ goals. The work of me and the team I was a part of on the history of the UK public expenditure control exemplifies the type of questions I am interested in.

For more details on each of the projects, please click the relevant tabs.