The main goal of my current research is to build valid theories explaining how various aspects of ethnicity shape political, conflict and development processes. In particular, my work on Africa addresses why ethnic diversity is linked to the factors of inefficient resource distribution and underdevelopment, namely (1) clientelism and distributive politics, (2) ethnic voting, and (3) ethnic conflict.

Publication

• "Rejecting Ethnic Pandering in Urban Africa: A Survey Experiment on Voter Preferences in Nairobi, Kenya"​ (with Jeremy Horowitz), Political Research Quarterly. forthcoming.
• "Oil Extraction and Public Attitudes: A Conjoint Experiment in Turkana, Kenya." (with Kennedy MKutu) The Extractive Industries and Society. forthcoming.
• "The Winning Party Platform: Voter Perceptions of Party Positions and Voting in Urban Africa." (with Eunkyung Kim) Africa Spectrum. forthcoming.
• “Promoting Ethnic Equality in Campaign Messages: Survey Experimental Evidence from Nairobi, Kenya.” Electoral Studies. ​2021.
• "Co‐Ethnic and Neighborhood Ties and Financial Social Capital Formation Among the Urban Poor in Kenya." Social Science Quarterly, 2020. 101(2), 744-758.
• "Failed Policy? The Effects of Kenya's Education Reform: Use of Natural Experiment and Regression Discontinuity Design." 2020. Social Science Quarterly, 101(1), 406-419.
• "Secure land tenure for urban slum-dwellers: A conjoint experiment in Kenya." 2019. (with Yong Yoon and Mary Mutinda) Habitat International, 93, 102048.
• “Acceptable Tradeoffs between Economic Growth and Environmental Protection: Comparison of Developed and Developing Economies’ Public Opinions” (with Youngchae Lee) Beverelli, C, Kurtz, J and D. Raess, eds. 2020. World Trade Forum Volume. Cambridge University Press.
• “The R&D and Productivity Relationship of Korean Listed Firms.” (with Almas Heshmati) Journal of Productivity Analysis 36, no. 2 (2011): 125-142.
• “Dynamics of Capital Structure: the Case of Korean Listed Manufacturing Companies.” (with Almas Heshmati and Dany Aoun) Asian Economic Journal 20, no. 3 (2006): 275.
• “The Effects of Innovation on Performance of Korean Firms.” (with Almas Heshmati and Yee-Kyoung Kim), 2007. in Thomas L. Beane (ed.) Economics of Technological Change, NY: Nova Science Publisher.

Under Contract

• Political Power and Co-Ethnic Marginalization in Africa, Routledge

Under Review

• Government Repression in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Social Science Quarterly
• Mobile Technology and State Repression during the COVID19 Pandemic: The Case of Nigeria, Africa Spectrum

Working Papers

• Out of Bounds: How Social Norms Constrain Ethnic Mobilization in Kenya (With Jeremy Horowitz)
• Oil Extraction, Provisional Peace and Political Marginalization: the Case of Turkana County in Kenya, (with Kennedy MKutu and Tessa MKutu)