My
primary research project examines how patterns of contentious politics have
shaped the long-term development of parties, states, and regimes in seven
Southeast Asian countries. I also have ongoing projects related to the role of
nationalism and religion in sparking and strengthening democratization
movements, the challenges of imposing effective accountability on political
elites in new democracies (with a focus on Indonesia), and the contributions of
Southeast Asian political studies to theoretical knowledge in comparative
politics.
Published Work
"The Architecture of Authoritarianism: Southeast
Asia and the Regeneration of Democratization Theory."
"The Ironies of Instability in
Indonesia." Social Analysis 50:1 (Spring 2006), pp. 208-213.
"Institutions of the Offensive: Domestic Sources of
Dispute Initiation in Authoritarian Regimes, 1950-1992." (with Brian Lai). American Journal of Political
Science 50:1 (January 2006), pp. 113-126.
"Systematic Vulnerability and the Origins of
Developmental States: Northeast and Southeast Asia in Comparative
Perspective." (with Richard Doner and Bryan Ritchie). International
Organization 59:2 (Spring 2005), pp. 327-361.
"Indonesia's Accountability Trap: Party Cartels and
Presidential Power after Democratic Transition."
"Democracy Takes a Thumping: Islamist and Democratic
Opposition in Malaysia's Electoral Authoritarian Regime."
"Iron Cage in an Iron Fist: Authoritarian
Institutions and Personalization of Power in Malaysia." Comparative
Politics 36:1 (October 2003), pp. 81-101.
Unpublished
Work
"Ordering Power: Contentious
Politics, State-Building, and Authoritarian Durability in Southeast Asia."
Ph.D. Dissertation,
"Democracies and Dictatorships Do Not Float Freely:
Structural Sources of Political Regimes in Southeast Asia."
Chapter in Kuhonta, Slater
and Vu.
"Introduction: The Contributions
of Southeast Asian Political Studies"
(with Kuhonta and Vu). Chapter in Kuhonta, Slater and Vu.
"Concluding Remarks" (with Kuhonta and Vu). Chapter in Kuhonta, Slater and Vu.
“Revolutions, Crackdowns, and Quiescence: Communal Elites and Democratic Mobilization in Southeast Asia.”
“Can Leviathan be a Democrat? Competitive
Elections, Robust Mass Politics, and State Infrastructural Power.”
“Informative Regress: Critical Antecedents in Comparative-Historical
Analysis” (with Erica Simmons).
“Altering Authoritarianism: Dynamics of
Infrastructural and Despotic Institutions in
“The Worst Kind of War: Regional Rebellions and
Political Militarization in the Post-Colonial World” (with Christopher Haid).