I am an Associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources at the Universty of Minnesota, where my research & teaching both focus on natural resource policy, politics & governance. In the last few years my work has increasingly focused on developing a "social science of ecological restoration," mostly focused on the global south, while examining the mechanisms of environmental policy change, mostly focused on environmental justice issues in Minnesota.
My research and teaching are both driven by my conviction that solving environmental problems requires improved understanding of human organization. To that end, I have developed a research program that combines a substantive applied focus on natural resource management both in Minnesota and around the world with theoretical development that contributes to the study of public policy, political ecology, public administration, and political science by examining the interrelationships between institutional development, scientific knowledge, justice, and political accountability and representation in bureaucratic and community-based decision-making. These concepts are rarely studied in the remote areas where I work, and thus my work provides fertile ground for testing and extending theories about public administration and the policy process. At the same time my research makes a major contribution to the interdisciplinary study of environmental policy, political ecology, sustainability science, and social-ecological systems, particularly since natural resources are rarely studied through these theoretical perspectives. .
Within this broad intersection of political science and environmental policy, my work focuses on Four areas. First I am interested in understanding the intersection of political, economic and social inequality and the environment, with the goal of contributing to struggles for environmental justice around the world. Second, I conduct research that examines the political conditions which contribute to sustainable environmental management across levels of political organization, from local communities to regional and national governments and international agreements. Third, I focus on understanding the role of government officials and public agencies in implementing environmental policies. Fourth, I aim to understand how the knowledge that is used in policy-making by government officials and others is generated and spread among decision-makers. Across these areas, my research is methodologically diverse, utilizing ethnography, comparative case studies, and surveys, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations. I have ongoing research in Minnesota examining both forest governance and the governance of urban nature. Some of my research examines national-level forest policies in the US. Internationally, I have current work in India, Nepal, & Mexico, and also have research examining forest restoration and deforestation globally.
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, I held a similar position in the late Department of Ecosystem Science & Management at Texas A&M University and was associated with the Applied Biodiversity Sciences Program there. Prior to that I was a postdoc in the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College, where I helped develop the SESMAD approach, building on the insights of my late mentor, Elinor Ostrom. I completed my PhD in the Joint Program in Public Policy at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Department of Political Science, where I was a research assistant at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis and worked on the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research program.
Last Update: April 2022
My research and teaching are both driven by my conviction that solving environmental problems requires improved understanding of human organization. To that end, I have developed a research program that combines a substantive applied focus on natural resource management both in Minnesota and around the world with theoretical development that contributes to the study of public policy, political ecology, public administration, and political science by examining the interrelationships between institutional development, scientific knowledge, justice, and political accountability and representation in bureaucratic and community-based decision-making. These concepts are rarely studied in the remote areas where I work, and thus my work provides fertile ground for testing and extending theories about public administration and the policy process. At the same time my research makes a major contribution to the interdisciplinary study of environmental policy, political ecology, sustainability science, and social-ecological systems, particularly since natural resources are rarely studied through these theoretical perspectives. .
Within this broad intersection of political science and environmental policy, my work focuses on Four areas. First I am interested in understanding the intersection of political, economic and social inequality and the environment, with the goal of contributing to struggles for environmental justice around the world. Second, I conduct research that examines the political conditions which contribute to sustainable environmental management across levels of political organization, from local communities to regional and national governments and international agreements. Third, I focus on understanding the role of government officials and public agencies in implementing environmental policies. Fourth, I aim to understand how the knowledge that is used in policy-making by government officials and others is generated and spread among decision-makers. Across these areas, my research is methodologically diverse, utilizing ethnography, comparative case studies, and surveys, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations. I have ongoing research in Minnesota examining both forest governance and the governance of urban nature. Some of my research examines national-level forest policies in the US. Internationally, I have current work in India, Nepal, & Mexico, and also have research examining forest restoration and deforestation globally.
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, I held a similar position in the late Department of Ecosystem Science & Management at Texas A&M University and was associated with the Applied Biodiversity Sciences Program there. Prior to that I was a postdoc in the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College, where I helped develop the SESMAD approach, building on the insights of my late mentor, Elinor Ostrom. I completed my PhD in the Joint Program in Public Policy at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Department of Political Science, where I was a research assistant at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis and worked on the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research program.
Last Update: April 2022
