My research focuses on the political economy of religion. The largest institutions in human history have been religious communities or states with a monopoly of violence. Some of the most exciting moments in history are when these two groups butt heads or join hands. I believe this topic is not just of historical interest, but helps us understand religious traditions today.  Studying the history of a tradition helps us best contextualize the problems others faced in the past, and how we might face them again in the present. 

I had the great pleasure of exploring the wonderful world of Adam Smith with Prof. Dan Klein in the Adam Smith Program at George Mason. We read not only Smith's economic writing, but his moral philosophy and epistemology as well. The more I study economics the more shocked I become at how Smith reliably beats the competition. Smith's approach to economic thinking is as vibrant and relevant as ever. In any class I teach, I will find some way to reference Adam Smith.

The formal study of institutions has been an interest of mine since I started college. Social rules and whether people will follow them make up a majority of our everyday cognition.  I am fascinated by the dependence we have on formal rules for ineffable social goals, and when our dependence on such rules gets us into trouble. See the Research tab for more on the above image.