He is primarily interested in the intersection of formal models, democratic theory and American political history. His book "Turning the Legislative Thumbscrew" (Michigan, 1997) analyzes why majorities within legislatures take away minority rights to obstruct legislation at certain times rather than others. He has also published a paper providing a Bayesian defense for small-n case studies of necessary conditions. His current work includes collaboration with Gail Buttorff (University of Kansas) applying a game-theoretic analysis of electoral boycotts and regime shifts to authoritarian politics in the Middle East and North Africa as well as a historical study of anti-Catholicism in American political development.