Research
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In the BookIt is often said that the federal government cannot or should not attempt to address America's problems of poverty and inequality—because its bureaucracy is wasteful or its programs ineffective. But is this true? In this book, Benjamin I. Page and James R. Simmons examine a number of federal and local programs, detailing what government action already does for its citizens and assessing how efficient it is at solving the problems it seeks to address. Their conclusion, surprisingly, is the polar opposite of the prevailing rhetoric—What Government Can Do is an insightful and compelling argument that it both can and should do more. |
Research Interests
My research interests are many and varied. The following is just a short list of the many topics I investigate episodically: Civic engagement and community activism; local responses to environmental regulation; municipal government forms, structures and performance; multidimensional analysis of political beliefs; economic theories of public choice and organizational behavior; party competition models; inequality and poverty; futurology and political prognostication; student and faculty engagement, opinion and behavior; projecting election results; radical politics in Wisconsin; Green social movements; community partnerships & initiatives; University shared governance; faculty compensation; communal experiments and utopian thought.
Current Projects
I’m currently attempting to put the finishing touches on our book “Who Gets What from Government?’ co-authored with Ben Page, of Northwestern University, so that it can be published before the 2012 presidential election. I also need to complete articles on the right-wing utopian novel, the activities of the Knights of Labor and National Party in Northeast Wisconsin during the late-19th century, and the disconnect between the major political party platforms and the beliefs of their partisan adherents.
Recently Published
“The University and Student Political Engagement” (with B. Lilly), PS: Political Science & Politics 43 (2), April 2010, 347-350.
“What Happened to the Truth?” (with S. Simmons), Wisconsin Political Scientist, 14 (1) Summer 2010, 12-15.
"Latent Classes within the American Electorate" (with S. Simmons), The Journal of Political Science, 36 Fall 2008, 109-131.
“On Authority: What Should Government Do?” (with B. Page), in Political Theory: A Reader, P. Schumaker (ed.), Wiley-Blackwell 2010, ch. 13, 300-306.
“Is American Public Policy Effective?” (with B. Page), in Perspectives on American Government, C. Jillson and D. Robertson (eds.), Routledge 2009, 14.4.
