My research interests are at the intersection Political Sociology and the Sociology of Development.  My focus is on the social organization of power the practices and processes of social change.  There are three dimensions to my research.

One important question that motivates my exploration of the social world is: How do people participate in the decisions that affect their lives? I have explored this question (in the past) through the lens of community-based development in urban Tanzania and (in the present) collaborative governance arrangements in the United States. 

A second and related area of research concerns a contemporary aspect of nature-society relations that is fashioned from the principles of ecological restoration and collaborative governance. What I refer to as restorative development is an intentional practice to improve collective well-being by restoring damaged ecosystems and enhancing the social, cultural, and economic relationships that are tied to a particular landscape.

My third area of sociological inquiry involves a close look at the rise of the (digital) developmental state in Africa. I argue that the developmental state framework is a useful way to explore key questions of governance, institution building, and the structural transformation of the national economy.