My name is George and my academic work is on applied political economy.

My research primarily focuses on the foundations of democracy: how democratic institutions function, how citizens interact with them and how they can be improved. I look at the electoral cycle through four essential angles: i) the factors that affect citizens’ participation, ii) those that shape their preferences, iii) the effect of elections on policies and welfare, and iv) collective decision making when institutions fail.

While my individual papers focus on just one or two of these steps at a time, my research as a whole seeks to paint a fresh and articulated picture of how democracy works, from how voters think and act to the output of democratic processes.