Profile:

Ph.D., UC Berkeley, 2015. Applied game theory, comparative politics, international relations. Jack's first major project is primarily game theoretic and examines the relationship between oil wealth and civil war. A series of articles and papers using conflict bargaining models explain why higher national-level oil wealth decreases prospects for center-seeking civil wars but also why oil-rich regions fight separatist civil wars relatively frequently. The second set of papers, mainly empirical, examine historical causes of wars and democracy. Topics include long-term legacies of pre-colonial statehood, domestic and international consequences of colonial European settlement, and British colonialism. Additional projects focus on game theoretic models of authoritarian survival and state-building strategies, and qualitative methods. His work has been published or is forthcoming in Comparative Political Studies, International Organization, and Journal of Theoretical Politics. Teaches courses on applied game theory (graduate), authoritarian politics (undergraduate), and research methods for honors students (undergraduate).