Dept. of Economics, George Mason University

PhD candidate studying political economy. I'm interested in political elites, the rule of law, and legal history.

I studied economics and philosophy at Grove City College. Now I am at GMU completing my PhD in economics. My dissertation is titled "Contracting Among Elites", and focuses on understanding a variety cases where political elites do not have access to third-party contract enforcement mechanisms, and yet develop sophisticated means for coordinating political actions. My job-market paper, "Self-Watching Watchers: The Case of Singapore," argues that Temasek Holdings' management of state assets disciplines rent-seeking at the highest levels of government, where elites otherwise wield vast discretionary powers. The rest of my dissertation focuses on the development of law in the Middle Ages, which facilitated nascent financial markets.

I love teaching more than anything -- navigate over to the "Teaching" page to see some sample syllabi (and rave reviews from students).