Research

My research interests are at the intersection of analytics, business and government. Often my projects are quantitative in nature. Other times, my research considers the broader implications of technology, the companies that create it, and their impact on society.

My latest paper, “Fox in the Henhouse: The Delegation of Regulatory and Privacy Enforcement to Big Tech,” is co-authored with William Bendix, Assistant Professor of International Relations and Intelligence at Dakota State University. We argue that in cases where illegal activity has little chance of being discovered, the big tech firms tend to ignore FTC demands for enforcement – a decision made easier because of the small size of fines relative to their annual revenues. In cases where there is an alarm mechanism – cases where the public becomes aware of a violation and the press amplifies their concerns – legislators are more likely to be brought in and the FTC is more likely to act.