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Welcome to my website! I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies at Swarthmore College.
My research lies at the intersection of comparative political economy and political behavior, with a substantive focus on migration, development, and identity politics, and a regional focus on South Asia. My work examines the consequences of internal migration for citizen-state relations and democratic governance in developing countries. I study how migration reshapes the microfoundations of political engagement among remaining populations, how elected officials respond when communities get enmeshed in a culture of migration, and the implications this has for governance in left-behind areas.
I am also currently working on two collaborative projects: one exploring how disasters can transform state-society relations in contexts of limited state capacity, and another evaluating the effects of electoral gender quotas on the provision of public services. All of my projects are based in India and draw on a range of methodological approaches, including longitudinal and panel designs, household surveys, and immersive ethnographic fieldwork.
My research has received funding from the American Institute of Indian Studies, the American Political Science Association, the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, and the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University, where I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science. Before graduate school, I worked at a survey research organization in New Delhi, where I supervised public opinion surveys across more than ten Indian states. I also hold an M.A. in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi.
My research lies at the intersection of comparative political economy and political behavior, with a substantive focus on migration, development, and identity politics, and a regional focus on South Asia. My work examines the consequences of internal migration for citizen-state relations and democratic governance in developing countries. I study how migration reshapes the microfoundations of political engagement among remaining populations, how elected officials respond when communities get enmeshed in a culture of migration, and the implications this has for governance in left-behind areas.
I am also currently working on two collaborative projects: one exploring how disasters can transform state-society relations in contexts of limited state capacity, and another evaluating the effects of electoral gender quotas on the provision of public services. All of my projects are based in India and draw on a range of methodological approaches, including longitudinal and panel designs, household surveys, and immersive ethnographic fieldwork.
My research has received funding from the American Institute of Indian Studies, the American Political Science Association, the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, and the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University, where I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science. Before graduate school, I worked at a survey research organization in New Delhi, where I supervised public opinion surveys across more than ten Indian states. I also hold an M.A. in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi.