Research
This page presents current working papers and research in progress, organized around three connected programs. Published work appears separately on the Publications page.
Political Economy of Innovation
War Exposure and the Demand Side of Innovation Policy: Evidence from Ukraine
With Vera Mironova. Does direct exposure to war change how citizens allocate scarce reconstruction resources? We combine wartime surveys, fixed-sum budget tasks, and comparisons among respondents from the same prewar communities. The project examines when crisis makes state-led R&D politically feasible and which public priorities it displaces.
Patent Protection, Funding Access, and Resilience of Software Startups: Analyzing the Impact of the Alice Decision
With Maxim Ananyev. How does patent protection shape the financing and entry of software startups? We use the 2014 Alice Supreme Court decision as a change in software-patent protection and analyze outcomes in a large database of U.S. startups. The project connects intellectual-property rules to entrepreneurial finance and the composition of innovative entry. SSRN
Public Support for Long-term Military Investments during Wartime: Evidence from Ukraine
With Vera Mironova and Sam Whitt. How does prolonged war change public support for long-term military innovation relative to civilian investment? We use a two-wave survey in Ukraine and compare preferences as the war progresses. The project speaks to the political foundations of postwar security, reconstruction, and economic diversification.
Searching for Data Privacy: Evidence from GDPR
With Kristine Thomas. Does privacy regulation change both firm outcomes and public concern about data use? We study the GDPR using advertising outcomes and Google search behavior. The project connects regulatory protection, consumer attention, and the longer-run adaptation of digital markets.
Information, Institutions, and Political Behavior
When Politically Congruent Opinions Pass for Facts: Self-Worth and Motivated Classification in Media Environments
With Alexei Zakharov, Sydney Brown, and Minh Dao. Why do people sometimes grant factual authority to claims that support their political side? A preregistered survey experiment tests whether strengthening self-worth changes how respondents classify politically congruent facts and opinions. The project moves the study of motivated reasoning to an earlier decision: which claims people permit to count as evidence.
Research or Mesearch? Do Personal Experiences Drive Research Agendas of Social Scientists
With Mikhail Galashin and Venkatesh Subramanian. How do researchers choose their agendas, and do personal experiences shape the questions they pursue? The project uses structured biographical and research-topic data to study how formative environments influence later scientific work.
Well-being, Public Policy, and Institutions
Public Perspectives on War Trauma Research: Evidence from Ukraine
With Vera Mironova and Sam Whitt. How does the public judge research on sensitive wartime trauma? A survey experiment in Ukraine varies researcher identity, subject matter, and perceived rapport. The project identifies practical conditions under which survey research can earn trust while asking consequential questions about harm.