Research & Writing
My food policy research asks how food shapes communities, and how governments decide who has access to it.
Research
Sharing: Culinary Diplomacy: Settling Religious Feuds through Food
Co-authored with Dr. Yudit Kornberg Greenberg in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Food, edited by Yudit Kornberg Greenberg and Benjamin E. Zeller. The chapter draws on sources spanning three millennia, from ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome to the present, to show how shared food has supported justice and peacemaking between religious communities. It grew out of a student-faculty research fellowship in 2023 and a panel at the Parliament of the World's Religions.
Good Food in the Neighborhood: Localizing Nutritious Food Access
Asks whether state and local governments can do what federal food programs often cannot: make nutritious food both physically accessible and affordable. The thesis develops a framework for evaluating programs on access, affordability, and nutrition, and applies it to 17 state, municipal, and community programs, from zoning for urban gardens to city-run grocery stores. It finds that local governments are best positioned to combine these tools, and that programs last only when they survive changes in funding and leadership. Chaired by Dr. Phil Kozel.
Seed Funding: Soybean Production and Political Instability
Presented with Dr. Matthew Rice at the World Social Science Association's 68th Annual Conference in Albuquerque. The research examines the challenges facing American soybean production and agribusiness through the lens of institutional economics, building on an independent study of how U.S. farm and trade policy uses food as a tool of economic development.
Commentary and essays
Breaking Bread in Honor of Mister Rogers' Legacy
On Rollins alumnus Fred Rogers, his ethic of being a good neighbor, and what it suggests about bridging political divides today.
Harness the Power of Food to Build Connection, Community
Makes the case that business and community leaders can use shared experiences, like a meal, to connect with people who see the world differently.
Zero Hunger: Food Security and North Africa
How climate and economic pressures threaten food security in Morocco and the wider Maghreb, and what that means for the UN goal of ending hunger.