I was born in South Carolina and grew up in Clemson, in the northwest corner of the state. My parents were both academics and my father served as dean at Clemson University. I spent a year in Brazil as a Rotary Exchange student when I was 17, and this experience ignited my interest in Latin America and international relations. I enrolled in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in August 1996, and graduated in 1999 after studying abroad in Morocco and the UK. After Georgetown, I spent a year working in Denver with the National Civilian Community Corps, as a year of Americorps service. I then moved to California in 2001 and worked in Stanford University’s Overseas Studies Program. In 2002 I enrolled in a Master’s Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Transatlantic Master’s Program involved study of the European Union and European politics. As part of this program, I spent most of 2003 at the University of Bath. After completing my Master’s thesis on the Celtic Tiger phenomenon, I returned to Chapel Hill in the fall 2004 to pursue a doctorate in political science. My dissertation field research took me back to Brazil many times in 2008 and 2009. I moved to New Orleans to complete my dissertation writing, as my wife was granted a scholarship at Tulane law school. While writing, I worked as an adjunct and Visiting Assistant Professor at Tulane. I defended my dissertation in summer 2011, and started as a tenure-track assistant professor at Tulane that fall.
As an assistant professor at Tulane, I wrote papers and conducted research on foreign direct investment in developing countries, particularly Latin America. I also received grants to study investment patterns in Ireland, which ultimately became a case study chapter in my book. I have used other grants to advance my research on the determinants of innovation-intensive investment in emerging economies. I am currently Associate Professor of Political Science at Tulane, having received tenure in July 2018. I am involved with the various political economy groups at Tulane, and I enjoy working with the Stone Center.
My research so far has resulted in a book that was published by MIT Press in 2017 (Globalizing Innovation: State Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment in Emerging Economies) and in various journal articles and book chapters. Currently, my top research priority is to execute a book project on monetary politics in late 19th century/early 20th century America, along with a number of articles on the domestic politics of monetary regimes. However, I also have long-term research agendas including a political economy treatment on the role of the United States in Central America.
While my research interests go beyond Latin America, I began my scholarly career as a Latin Americanist and feel comfortable working on Latin American political economy issues. I have published works on foreign investment in Latin America, in such outlets as Latin American Politics and Society, Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, and others.
Recently-Taught Latin American-Related Courses:
