I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Marquette Democracy Lab. My research explores the intersections between politics and inequality, including class biases in turnout, money in electoral campaigns, and how public policy affects societal inequalities.
My book, The Economic Other: Inequality in the American Political Imagination (joint with Meghan Condon, Loyola University Chicago) is now available from the University of Chicago Press. In this book, we examine how Americans use social comparisons to make sense of income inequality and how such frames of reference affect attitudes about redistribution and feelings of political power.
I was on sabbatical during the 2019-2020 academic year. With my Marquette colleagues from education, biology, law, and computer and data sciences, I have begun a new project that examines how communities have mobilized in response to concerns about surface and groundwater contamination in Wisconsin. Our project was recently awarded an APSA Research Partnerships on Critical Issues (RPCI) grant. I am also the co-PI for new research initiative, sponsored by the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, which will examine the major issues and events engaging both voters and candidates in the 2020 election cycle. You can read more about our election insights here. The Marquette Democracy Lab was also awarded a grant from the Students Learn Students Vote (SLSV) Coalition to launch #MarquetteVotes, a non-partisan campaign to increase student voting participation and engagement in the 2020 election.
I received my Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University’s Center for the Study of American Politics. I previously worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Washington, DC.
My research has appeared in American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Urban Affairs Review, among others. You can read about some of my work and other commentary featured here:
“How long has Wisconsin been a swing state?,” Wisconsin Public Radio
“How coronavirus changes the political outlook in China and the U.S.,” Washington Post
“Trump Has a Gut Feeling About What Covid-19 Means for 2020,” New York Times
“‘Not the economy, stupid’: A majority of Americans say 2020 election will be about other issues,” CNBC
“Why the Economy Might Not Sway 2020 Voters,” New York Times
“Red-Hot Economy? Women Aren’t Convinced,” New York Times
“A surprising economic factor that could power presidential voting: The availability of mortgages,” Washington Post
“Sanders shouldn’t drop out for Clinton’s sake,” FiveThirtyEight
“20 years on, here’s how welfare reform held back immigrants’ children — in some states,” Washington Post, MonkeyCage
“Excluding Latino Immigrant Families from the Social Safety Net Hurts Their Children’s Educational Outcomes,” United States Policy and Politics Blog, London School of Economics
“Why We Should Care About Dark Money Ads,” Wesleyan Media Project
“Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Raises Concerns About Partisanship,” New York Times
Amber Wichowsky 