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I am a Lecturer at the International Relations Program at University of Pennsylvania.

My work centers on populism, movement-party interactions, and discontent with democracy.

I explore the rise and sustained appeal of the Alternative for Germany as a function of intra-party democratic mechanisms and grassroots activism. The AfD displays a high degree of internal participation – an important but contrasting addition to the comparative research on populist parties, which often fail to sustain a democratic internal organization and consistently adopt mechanisms to centralize power in the leadership. The research has important implications for the study of populism, in terms of linking the people-centered nature of populism to debates about empowering party members and invigorating the connections between citizens and parties.

My second project explores the intersection of social movements and populist parties, particularly the influence of social actors on party organization and electoral success. Using Austria, Germany, and France as case studies, I examine how movements exert pressure on parties and shape their ideology both through protest and non-disruptive means (such as lobbying and infiltrating the grassroots level of the party organization). This project provides important insights on the strategies movements actors employ to achieve their outcomes without openly endorsing a specific political party or leader.