About

I was born in West Virginia, grew up outside of Philadelphia, and have been living in DC for about three decades.  I’m a political scientist, with a Ph.D. from American University in Washington, DC.  My research area was reform politics and the intersections of law and politics, with a focus on framing and strategy. My dissertation research was on the Mississippi Tobacco Litigation, strategies for challenging the status quo via the courts, and how the boundary between law and politics is drawn in concrete disputes.

In my day job, I’m a research analyst doing surveys, focus groups, quantitative data analysis, as well as training and consulting with others in designing, conducting and effectively reporting on their own research.  I’ve also taught various undergraduate government classes, including constitutional law and general American politics.

Beyond that, my work is socialist political education. I’m the organizer of the DC Jacobin Reading Group. I am also an organizer with the Metro DC DSA Socialist Night School, and a steward with the Political Education Working Group. I present on several topics, including socialism and abolition, lead reading groups, and do trainings on political education. I also lead the Virtual Socialism reading group. I am happy to present, consult or train for other groups.

I write here (infrequently) about politics, law and social science. Common themes are issues of democracy and inequality, conceptualization and the uses of language. I’m here to flesh out my own ideas, and to hear from you.

You can follow me on Twitter @DavidKaib or contact me at david.kaib@gmail.com. You can also like this blog on Facebook.