Local Government Finance
How do cities and counties manage fiscal stress — and how do credit markets judge their resilience? My work examines municipal credit ratings, budget decision-making under pressure, and the long-run fiscal consequences of major disruptions including recessions, natural disasters, and shifts in state policy. A recurring theme is how governments balance short-term survival with long-term financial health.
Coproduction & Civic Tech
Public services increasingly depend on citizens as active participants, not just recipients. I study 311 non-emergency request systems, open data platforms, and crowdsourced service delivery — examining who engages, what motivates participation, and whether digital tools improve or entrench inequities in service quality across neighborhoods and communities.
Wildfire & Climate
Wildfire and smoke are redefining what local governments must manage. My research covers agile government responses to climate-related disasters, the public health consequences of smoke exposure, and the deployment of low-cost IoT sensors for real-time air quality monitoring. I am particularly interested in how governments build adaptive capacity before, during, and after emergencies.
Mobility & Urban Systems
New mobility technologies — autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing, micro-mobility — are disrupting the revenue streams cities depend on. I examine how transportation finance models must evolve, the regulatory challenges of governing emerging technologies, and the fiscal implications of declining parking and fuel-tax revenues for municipal governments navigating the transition.
