Research

Social Norms and Political Participation

[1] The Obligation Mosaic. (University of Chicago Press) Interviews, surveys, and experiments with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Americans show that two common norms centrally define concepts of obligation in the US: honoring ancestors and helping those in need. Whether these norms lead different groups to politics depends on distinct histories and continued patterns of segregation. The findings not only help explain patterns of participation but also provide a window into opportunities for change, suggesting how activists and parties might better mobilize citizens.

  •  Juliette and Alexander L. George Outstanding Political Psychology Book Award, International Society of Political Psychology

[2] What Makes a Good Neighbor? Race, Place and Norms of Political Participation.  (American Political Science Review) Social rewards for political participation vary across racial groups and community-types, with racial minorities living in co-racial spaces often providing more rewards to be active than Whites.

The American Carceral State

[3]  Do Felony Disenfranchisement Laws (De)Mobilize? A Case of Surrogate Participation. (Journal of Politics) Social connections to convicted felons can increase political participation, but only in states with the most punitive of felony disenfranchisement laws.  With Mackenzie Israel-Trummel.

[4] Contact and Context: How Municipal Traffic Stops Shape Citizen Character. (Journal of Politics) Racial disparities in municipal context are associated with decreasing trust in the police above and beyond direct and proximal contact, but have no effect on political participation. With Derek Epp and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel.

[5] A Drop in the Ocean: How Priors Anchor Attitudes Toward the American Carceral State. (British Journal of Political Science) Roberta Sigel Award for Best Paper by Early Career Scholars. A Bayesian learning model incorporating race socialization and experiences during emergent adulthood explains why direct contact with the carceral state is associated with more attitude change among White Americans compared to Black. With Andrew Engelhardt.

[6] Representational Responsiveness to Those with a Felony Conviction. (Revise & resubmit, registered report). A field experiment examines how felony disenfranchisement policies shape political responsiveness across states. With Mackenzie Israel-Trummel, Sara Kirshbaum, & Kennedy Harrison. 

Race Socialization, Race Construction, and Racial Context

[7] Black Lives, White Kids: White Parenting Practices Following Black-Led Protests. (Perspectives on Politics) Attention to issues of race socialization increased in the wake of the Summer 2020 BLM protests; we measure and explore racial parenting practices that may have followed among White parents in the latter half of 2020. With Andrew Engelhardt and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel. 

 [8] From Protest to Childrearing: How Movement Politics Shape Socialization Priorities. (American Political Science Review) Best Paper Award from Political Psychology Section of APSA. Facebook data, original survey work, and an experiment show that Black Lives Matter protests in Summer 2020 changed race socialization priorities and practices within the family and schools. With Andrew Engelhardt and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel.

[9] Racial Context(s) in American Political Behavior. (First view, American Political Science Review) Best Paper Award from Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of APSA We show geographic, social, and psychological racial contexts are not well nested in the US and explore the implications for key political outcomes. With Lauren Davenport and Rachel Lienesch. 

[10] What Does Race Mean? Racial Disparities in the Public Mind. (Forthcoming, Journal of Politics) Everyday Americans hold many definitions of race in their mind simultaneously. As a result, how elites talk about racial disparities in disease can affect beliefs about the biological versus socioeconomic sources of other kinds of racial variation. With Cindy D. Kam and Colette Marcellin.

[11] Race Socialization in a New Era: A Dyad Study of Parents and Teens. A unique study of 500 parent-child pairs allows us to investigate the connection between parents’ racial attitudes and those of their children. We compare our results to those from Jennings and Niemi, showing how race socialization has changed over time. With Andrew Engelhardt and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel.

[12] First School of Justice: Families, Schools, and the Battle for Race Education in America. Book manuscript in progress, prospectus available upon request. With Andrew Engelhardt and Mackenzie Israel-Trummel. 

Other Projects

[13] Critical Dialogue. Perspectives on Politics. A Review of Mara Ostfeld and Nicole Yadon’s Skin Color, Power, and Politics in America; A Response to Yadon’s Review of The Obligation Mosaic.

[14] Revisiting Recruitment: Insights from Get-Out-the-Vote Field Experiments. With Melissa Michelson. In New Advances in the Study of Civic Volunteerism: Resources, Engagement, and Recruitment, ed. Casey Klofstad. Temple University Press.