Teaching

Why do states exist? Why are some democracies, and others autocracies? And why are some countries rich, while others are poor? This course introduces students to the study of domestic politics of other countries by focusing on topics such as economic development, democratization and regime change, political institutions, income redistribution, and political representation.

What does it mean to be democratic in a poor country with diverse identities of language, gender, caste, class, and religion? And how has India balanced economic growth with equity? This course covers India’s political history from the colonial period through the Narendra Modi era, organized around concepts of the state, democracy, identity, and social movements.

Why do people vote the way they do? Can universal health insurance lead to a longer lifespan? This course provides an introduction to causal inference, probability theory, and estimation, with a focus on hands-on data analysis and the practical application of basic statistical methods to real-world problems.