James is completing his PhD in political science at the University of Pennsylvania in the summer of 2019. He will begin as a Visiting Assistant Professor of political science at Haverford College in the Spring of 2020. James’ researches examines the development of institutions in urban neighborhoods through the interaction of neighborhood activism, local governments, and the philanthropic and private sectors. His research inquires how these historically emergent institutions shape neighborhood residents’ political options, creating opportunities for market-based projects and public-private partnerships, while discouraging mass mobilization. Other research projects currently in progress include a comparison of state laws specifying landlord discretion to determine fines and fees in the tenant-landlord relationship, and an analysis of urban government’s use of “community control” discourses to legitimize neoliberal education and housing policies. James is passionate about engaged research believing that social science can be informed by and contribute to social justice practice, without compromising scientific rigor. He was a Summer Fellow at the Center on Democracy and Organizing at University of California, Berkeley in the Summer of 2019.