Advisors: Isabela Mares,  John Huber and Massimo Morelli. Teaching and Research Interests: Political Economy of Taxation, Political Economy of Welfare States, Formal Theory, Social Choice Theory, Political Economy of Trade and Conflict Outcomes, Irish Politics.

Dissertation Topic: The Political Economy of Tax Mixes in Advanced Industrialised Counties. Pierce’s work focuses on political economy and formal political theory, as well as quantitative methods. His dissertation focuses on explaining variation in tax mixes and tax bases in advanced industrialised countries, using a combination of formal theory, case studies and quantitative methods. He has also done work on rational choice in international relations. He holds a First-Class BA in History and Political Science from Trinity College Dublin, and an MSc in Economics from Trinity College Dublin. He is a recipient the Fulbright Scholarship from the Irish Fulbright Commission and a Foundation Scholarship from The University of Dublin, Trinity College. He is a 2011-12 Mellon Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow.

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