Research

My research agenda focuses on the power, regulation, and legitimation of Big Tech companies. The prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) and growth of Big Tech make understanding the global role of these companies a pressing issue within the global political economy. I join this timely conversation by analyzing mechanisms operating behind the platform power of Big Tech firms in my dissertation project. I then focus on two mechanisms, issue salience and geopolitical reasons, to analyze the self-governance actions of Big Tech companies. The level of internal formalization varies across self-governance actions. I find that the level of formalization increases as the level of geopolitical demand from a Big Tech firm's home state increases and as the public salience of a Big Tech-relevant issue increases.

In "Local Data Policies, Global Data Politics: How Citizens Evaluate Data Localization Policies and Political Responses," accepted at Foreign Policy Analysis, Dr. Tyler Girard and I find that Americans oppose data localization in other countries when framed in terms of negative economic impacts to the United States, but their attitudes are unaffected by frames emphasizing the sovereignty implications for other countries. Further, we find evidence that ethnocentric valuations shape how Americans evaluate the adoption of data localization policies abroad.

In other projects, I explore the ethical certification regimes for companies using AI, the integration of public values into U.S. AI policies, and the use of human rights language by Big Tech firms. 

I apply a variety of methodological approaches based on the questions at hand. This includes both qualitative and quantitative tools, such as process tracing, text analysis, and survey experiments. I aim to contribute to the expanding scholarly work on Big Tech regulation and practitioners’ understanding of these firms’ environmental, human rights, and ethics impacts.