Research

Working Papers

Monumental Effects: Confederate Monuments in the Post-Reconstruction South (Job Market Paper)
_{Uses generalized difference-in-differences and event study designs to assess the impact of confederate monument dedications on congressional voting patterns in the US South from 1878-1912. I find that monument dedications are associated with increases in the percentage of voters voting for Democratic candidates, which were largely anti-Reconstruction. I also find that these counties saw a decrease in voter turnout and the black population. This implies that monuments affect how societies are perceived and perceive themselves, which affect political outcomes. (Revise & Resubmit at Explorations in Economic History, Current Draft: Jul 2023) [Dropbox] [SSRN] [Slides] [Poster]
Presentations: Yale Econ History Grad Student Conference, GMU, PCS, VAE, ACEI, Troesken Memorial Conference, EHA (Poster), SEA, ASSA}

The Impact of the Black Death on the Adoption of the Printing Press (joint with Noel D. Johnson and Andrew Thomas)
_{Uses a 2SLS model to predict the impact of Black Death mortality on the adoption of the printing press. We find that cities with higher levels of Black Death mortality were less likely to adopt the printing press before both 1500 and 1600. We also find that higher Black Death mortality is associated with later adoption and higher levels of printing specialization on the intensive margin. This suggests that market size is important in the adoption of labor-saving technologies. (Under Review, Current Draft: Dec 2023) [Dropbox] [Slides]
Presentations: World Economic History Congress, World Cliometric Conference, Markets & Society Conference}

Papers in Progress

Institution Building in Indian Country: Tribal Courts (joint with Thomas Stratmann and Adam Crepelle)
_{Investigates the impact of institutional improvements on American Indian Reservations.}

Spatial Specialization of Early Printing: A Cosine Similarity Analysis of Titles from 1450 to 1650 (joint with Noel D. Johnson)
_{Investigates printing specialization across European cities between 1450-1650 using textual analysis.}

The Word of God or Man? Bibles, Dictionaries, and the Vernacular Shift
_{Uses generalized difference-in-differences and event study designs to assess the impact of printed bibles and dictionaries on shift away from Latin to vernacular languages in early modern Europe. This topic has implications for better understanding the formation of national identities through language, as well as the communication of ideas across linguistic divides.}

The King’s French (joint with Jacob Hall)
_{Investigates the impact of language policy and state capacity on the standardization of early modern French. [Slides]
Presentations: SEA}

In the Media

When Confederate-glorifying monuments went up in the South, voting in Black areas went down.
_{The Conversation, August 8, 2023. Summary of findings in “Monumental Effects: Confederate Monuments in the Post-Reconstruction South.”}

Code Snitching: Nashvillians Are Weaponizing Metro Codes Against ‘Undesirable’ Neighbors
_{Cover story of the July 28, 2022 issue of the Nashville Scene. I assisted journalist Radley Balko (Washington Post, Nashville Scene) in analyzing the use of metro code violation reports in gentrifying areas. I found that, even when controlling for a home’s condition and other factors, lower-valued homes in gentrifying areas were more likely to have reports against them than higher-valued homes.}