I am an Associate Professor of Government at American University's School of Public Affairs. I hold a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Florida. Prior to joining AU, I was a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and Assistant Professor of Political Science and African Studies at Michigan State University.

I study African politics with a focus on democratization, political violence, and the rule of law. I am interested in how institutions shape individual decision-making and how these institutions evolve over time. I use qualitative, survey, and experimental methods in my research. My work has been published in American Political Science Review, the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, and other journals. My first book, From Protest to Parties, was published by Oxford University Press in 2011 and won the Best Book award from the APSA / ASA African Politics Conference Group. 

I am grateful for research funding from EGAP, J-PAL, ICTD, IRI, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and others. My research on taxation in Lagos is part of the EGAP Metaketa II on Taxation.