I am a PhD Candidate in Public Policy and Management in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. My research examines how local governance and urban politics can address inequalities in the quality of public goods across cities and neighborhoods. I study and compare governance in public organizations with a focus on their internal power structure and the role of citizens in institutional design. I am particularly interested in how these institutional factors in inter-organizational collaborations affect public service performance in equity and efficiency.
To examine this question, my dissertation, “Governing Public Goods: How Local Political Power and Institutions Shape Inequalities,” investigates how the choice and design of institutional arrangements determine the allocation of government investment at the local and regional level and its impact on communities.
I am also interested in social equity and environmental sustainability. My articles have appeared in Urban Affairs Review and American Politics Research. My paper "It’s Not Just Welfare: Racial Inequality and the Local Provision of Public Goods in the United States," has been selected as the Urban Affairs Review Best Paper and 2018 Best Paper in Urban and Local Politics presented at the 2017 American Political Science Association Meeting. I expect to complete my PhD in May 2019.
