Areas of Specialization
State and Local Politics; Public
Policy
One aspect of my research focuses on American state and
local politics and has led to the publication of two books,
Community Power in a Postreform City (M.E. Sharpe), a historical
analysis of “regime politics” in New York City, and an edited
volume, Governing New York State (SUNY Press), a comprehensive
analysis of politics in the Empire State. My work in this area can
also be found in journals like Polity, the Journal of Urban
Affairs, Government, Law and Policy, and the Public Administration
Review. In addition, I am a co-author of Politics and
Structure (Wadsworth), a book focused on the institutions of
American national government.
A more recent research interest focuses on analyzing the values
of Catholic Social Justice within the context of American political
culture. My work in this area has led to several conference
papers as well as articles published in journals like the
Vincentian Chair of Social Justice and Villanova Law School’s
Journal of Catholic Social Thought. I am currently pursuing
research, which ultimately will result in a book-length manuscript,
on the impact—real and potential—of Catholic Social Justice in the
United States.