Welcome to my website.  I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University in May 2012 and currently am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the European Union Centre of Excellence at York University, Canada.  My dissertation, entitled Party System Change in The Netherlands: Intra-Party Cohesion, Discourse, and the Socio-Cultural Cleavage, explains not only how one of the most stable, predictable party systems in Western Europe became one of the most volatile, but also the timing of that change.  It does so by examining the impact that increased immigration, European integration and globalization are having on the Dutch party system in comparison to other West European countries.  It argues that in order to understand ongoing party system change in the Netherlands, one not only needs to consider the position taken by parties  on the socio-cultural cleavage, but also how effective they are at communicating this position to the electorate.

 

My other research interests include: the populist radical right in Western Europe, immigration and the implications for citizenship and party systems in Western Europe, Dutch politics, and the impact of increased European integration upon EU member states.  My work has been published in World Politics, West European Politics and Open Citizenship.

 

Besides a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University, I have an M.A. in European Studies from New York University and a B.A. in History and International Affairs from Lafayette College.