About Me
PhD Student, Sociology & Social Policy
Research Interests: Political economy, markets and inequality, financialization, quantatitive methods
I am a doctoral student in Sociology & Social Policy at Harvard University and an affiliate of the Center for American Political Studies and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Broadly, my research investigates how various market structures and interventions affect economic inequalities at both the local and global scale. Currently, my work focuses on U.S. housing markets, examining the intersection of local politics, financialization, and inequality.
I hold a BA in Economics and Quantitative Social Science (interdisciplinary) from Vanderbilt University. I am a lifelong Tennessean, but I have also lived briefly lived in Uppsala, Chicago, Milan, and Boston. In my spare time, I am a pick-up basketball enthusiest.
Research
Publications
N. Forster-Benson and K. Nchare. (2025). “Upzoning and Residential Transaction Price in Nashville.” Journal of Housing Economics, 70: 102104.
Works in Progress
N. Forster-Benson. “Corporate Ownership Density and Rent in the United States: An Analysis from 2012-2022.” Working paper.
N. Forster-Benson. “Upzoning, Density, and the Financialization of Space in Nashville.” Under Review.
N. Forster-Benson. “Towards a Relational Understanding of Zoning Conflict.” In Preperation.
N. Forster-Benson and K. Nchare. “Trade Distortions and Colonial Legacy: Evidence from Portugal and Its Former Colonies.” Revise & Resubmit, Journal of International Development.
Teaching
- Economic Statistics (ECON 1500), Teaching Assistant, Fall 2024
Vanderbilt University, Department of Economics — Syllabus
Introduction to probability and inference. - Contemporary American Society (SOC 3233), Teaching Assistant, Fall 2022, Fall 2023
Vanderbilt University, Department of Sociology — Syllabus
Changes in political economy, geography, and social class stratification in the United States (1940s-present). - Cultural Production and Institutions (SOC 3202), Teaching Assistant, Fall 2023
Vanderbilt University, Department of Sociology — Syllabus
Examining the production of art and authenticity within various art fields, from the production of drill music to 15th-century Italian painting.
