My work seeks to deepen our understanding of the relationship between the opinions of members of the mass public and the policies of government by systematically exploring public opinion and behavior across a variety of different historical, political, and national contexts. Over the my career, I have explored four related aspects of the political behavior of ordinary citizens: First, whose opinions are reflected in public opinion polls and how do these polls affect policy? Second, how do electoral institutions foster or stifle citizen involvement in the political process? Third, how does the political and social context of a society shape the attitudes and opinions of ordinary citizens? Finally, how do citizens understand complex issues of foreign policy and then guide and react to the government’s policies of military intervention.

Click here to download a somewhat dated statement of research, written in 2012.