About
I am a Ph.D. student in the Sociology Program at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). Currently I am completing work on my dissertation, From Social Problems to Governance Problems: Health and Housing After the Welfare State, which draws from studies in political sociology, science studies, political economy and contemporary social theory.
Social Problems After the Welfare State
My dissertation explores the organization of housing programs and services in the context of “post-welfare state” U.S. neoliberalism. When I began my research, I was struck by the extent to which housing issues have been overlooked by the political sociology of welfare policy and administration. I also discovered that most research on housing emerges from urban or public health studies of homelessness. Shifting focus from “the homeless” to governance mechanisms, my dissertation seeks to understand what the organization and provision of housing and related health services can tell us about the management of social problems in the contemporary U.S.
Scholars have demonstrated that under neoliberalism, economic logics drive social welfare policy. They have also shown how national and subnational governments increasingly outsource welfare state functions to private nonprofit organizations. My research suggests that in this context, social problems are transformed into what I term “governance problems.” In other words, the focus of policy and administration increasingly centers on managing social programs, rather than addressing social problems. Thus, in housing and shelter provision, current federal initiatives concentrate on (1) developing quantitative measures for assessing service provision outcomes and (2) establishing “performance-based contracting” protocols for allocating federal, state, and private funds to non-profit organizations. In this move to organizational management, the individual subject (or client) of welfare services is not erased, but increasingly is understood and addressed through statistical population models of risk, recidivism, and cost. I hope my research will offer substantive knowledge about this important area of social welfare policy and administration as well as contribute to theorizing how governance works in “post-welfare state” neoliberalism.
Teaching
My concern with technology extends to my teaching, and I am in my second year as an Interactive Technology Fellow at the Macaulay Honors College of CUNY. In this capacity, I work with faculty and students to develop creative pedagogical uses of technology, including developing course weblogs, wikis, and multmedia presentations. Prior to this position, I taught for several years as an adjunct instructor at Hunter College. I describe my teaching philosophy and experiences in my Teaching Statement. For an overview of my academic work, you can view my c.v. online, or download a pdf version.
Public Sociology
In addition to my academic activities, I volunteer with organizations working on such issues as anti-racism, queer and trans liberation, immigrant justice, and prison abolition. In recent years I’ve shared my (debatable) dj skills at fundraisers to support the work of some of these groups, including the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Time’s Up!, and the Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar Project.