The President's Legislative Success & Social Media

Political scholars have long noted the important relationship between presidents' use of plebiscitarian activity (i.e., public addresses, appeals, speeches, etc.) to achieve legislative success, whether that means persuading voters to elect certain people to Congress, or convincing voters that a particular issue/piece of legislation is important and worthy of their support. In the paper linked below, I examine whether social media has had any effect on how successful presidents have been at using plebiscitarian activity in getting their proposed budgets enacted by Congress and if social media has changed the frequency that presidents make use of traditional forms of media (such as television) to make public appeals for pieces of legislation. As you'll see, the era of Twitter and Facebook has had a substantial effect on presidential success. Cheers!

"The Gatekeepers Have Lost Their Hold: The President's Legislative Success & Social Media"

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A Network Analysis of Foreign Aid Commitments

International Relations scholars often talk about the "diffusion" of norms, behaviors, security worries, etc. throughout the international system. Foreign aid policy is one such norm -- one that developed, democratic countries often are peer-pressured into sharing. But which countries lead the way in terms of aid commitments? Why Network Analysis? The study of networks in the social sciences has largely been restricted to sociology; however, more recently, other fields such as political science (international relations in particular) have adopted network science as a tool in the study of social phenomena. Networks provide a visually intuitive graphical representation of the multiple connections among numerous actors. Aside from being a visually appealing representation of a network of relationships, network analysis of the international system helps to bring to light (and also account for) the fact that international politics is inherently multilateral . Most analyses in

Immigration, Islam, and Social Media: The Latest Round of Research (Spring 2016)

With my journey through grad school continuing, I've successfully completed three research papers this semester for my proseminars on international politics, political modernization, and congressional politics. The fact that I enjoyed each class and conducting research for each proves just how much of a nerd I really am! This latest round of papers I've completed encompass a variety of topics. In the first, I explore the relationship between foreign aid and immigration: is increasing foreign aid to a given country a viable strategy for curbing inflows of migrants? If so, foreign aid can serve as a valuable tool for policymakers who have to contend with constituent demands that immigration be reduced. Simultaneously, because foreign aid, in theory, would reduce immigration by improving prospects for employment and ensuring more secure household incomes in other countries, aid can be a more successful long-term strategy for reducing immigration since individuals are motivated t

World Bank Education Programs and Democratic Transition

Among the various topics that I'm currently researching, the relationship between education and democracy is one that I find particularly interesting. Even though the relationship between education and democratization has been regarded as a quintessentially important one, only recently have political scholars begun to empirically examine this relationship. The pdf file I've linked below is a recent research paper I completed for a proseminar in comparative politics in which I attempt to contribute to the existing discussion on the relationship between education and democracy. I'd be happy to answer any questions regarding my findings or the data I used. Enjoy! The Impact of World Bank Education Programs on Democratic Transition

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