Below are summaries of some recent work, all under review.
In this project, I explore the sources of support for Anti-Establishment parties, beyond traditional demand-side explanations, such as cultural and economic fears. I find that low institutional trust, or diffuse support, increases a person's likelihood of selecting an anti-establishment party over an establishment party, including incumbent parties, and established opposition parties. Further, I find that low specific support (i.e. incumbent evaluations) is connected to voting for establishment opposition parties, but only both low diffuse support AND low specific support is connected to voting for anti-establishment parties from the right and the left.
Here, my co-author and I explore how membership in an anti-establishment party influences female legislative behavior. Through an examination of parliamentary questions asked in the 8th Session of the European Parliament, we find that anti-establishment women are the most active members of European Parliament, outpacing establishment women, establishment men, and anti-establishment men in the number of parliamentary questions asked. Further, we find that anti-establishment women pursue agenda items divorced from traditional "women's issues" such as education, social welfare, and health.
Here, my co-author and I explore how an individual's level of diffuse support influences her support for a wide range of immigration policies. We expected that when individuals are more trusting of government (the actor responsible for enacting policies), they are more likely to permit the government latitude to administer policies, and less likely to worry that immigrants pose a threat to the native population.