​​​​​​​Political Institutions under Colonialism

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.

​Colonial Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship  

(book manuscript in progress with Alexander Lee) 

Published

The Great Revenue Divergence 
Forthcoming at International Organization (with Alexander Lee)

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
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In progress

African Political Institutions and the Impact of Colonialism  

(with Jutta Bolt, Leigh Gardner, Jennifer Kohler, and James Robinson)

Endogenous Colonial Borders: Precolonial States and Geography in the Partition of Africa
​(with Xiaoyan Qiu and Joan Ricart-Huguet)