Colonialism and Political Institutions
How did Western colonial rule influence political institutions during and after colonialism? Motivated by foundational theories of democratization and stability, I analyze the actions and legacies of various actors, in particular white settlers and British rule. I have collected extensive data on elections and other institutions under colonialism to understand the origins and evolution of political representation under colonial rule, varying decolonization experiences, and post-colonial legacies. In related ongoing research, I extend my analysis of colonial legacies beyond national-level electoral institutions to focus on bureaucratic development, drawing borders, and local Native Authority institutions.
Book
Colonial Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship
(book manuscript with Alexander Lee) Cambridge University Press, forthcoming
Published articles
Endogenous Colonial Borders: Precolonial States and Geography in the Partition of Africa
(with Xiaoyan Qiu and Joan Ricart-Huguet) American Political Science Review, forthcoming
JOURNAL LINK • REPLICATION DATA • APP A - MAIN APPENDIX • APP B - DIGITIZING PRECOLONIAL STATES •
APP C - CASE STUDIES FOR BILATERAL BORDERS • APP D - ADDITIONAL REGRESSION TABLES
The Great Revenue Divergence
(with Alexander Lee) International Organization, 2023, 77(2): 363–404.
JOURNAL LINK • APPENDIX • REPLICATION DATA • NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Democratic Contradictions in European Settler Colonies
World Politics, 2019, 71(3): 542–585.
JOURNAL LINK • MAIN APPENDIX • CODING APPENDIX • REPLICATION DATA
Redistributive Political Transitions: Minority Rule and Liberation Wars in Colonial Africa
Journal of Politics, 2019, 81(2): 505–523. JOURNAL LINK • APPENDIX • REPLICATION DATA
British Colonialism and Democracy: Divergent Inheritances and Diminishing Legacies
(with Alexander Lee) Journal of Comparative Economics, 2019, 47(3): 487–503.
JOURNAL LINK • APPENDIX • REPLICATION DATA
What Were the Consequences of Decolonization? (with Alexander Lee)
International Studies Quarterly, 2019, 63(2): 406–416. JOURNAL LINK • APPENDIX • REPLICATION DATA
In progress
African Political Institutions and the Impact of Colonialism
(with Jutta Bolt, Leigh Gardner, Jennifer Kohler, and James Robinson) Under review