Research interests: Cities, inequality, democracy, public goods and bureaucracy.

Ben is currently completing a book project that compares the divergent politics of distributing urban public goods — housing, sanitation, and transportation — in two mega-cities after transitions to democracy: Johannesburg, South Africa, and São Paulo, Brazil. This work develops a theoretical account for why some cities are more effective than others in reducing inequality. This fall (2021), he will teach courses on the sociology of poverty and the sociology of development in the Sociology Department at Harvard University.

This information is accurate as of the affiliate year indicated. (updated 9.12.2023)