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Lawrence R. Jacobs

ローレンス・R・ジェイコブズ

Lawrence R. Jacobs

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1959-03-06 (Brooklyn, New York City)
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Croton-on-Hudson, New York (raised) → Minneapolis, Minnesota (work/residence)

Career

Occupations
Political scientist, Professor, Public policy researcher
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (founder & director), Visiting Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford University, Associate Member, Nuffield College, Oxford University, Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Memberships
American Political Science Association, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Influenced By
Robert Y. Shapiro, Theda Skocpol, Benjamin I. Page
Influenced
Amy Klobuchar (alumnus of Policy Fellows program), Norm Coleman (alumnus of Policy Fellows program)

Education

Oberlin College
History and English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1977-1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: United States
Columbia University
Graduate School / Political Science
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1980s–1990
Year of Graduation: 1990
Country: United States
Ph.D. in Political Science

Awards

Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2020
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 受賞
Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies (appointment)
2005
Organization: Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Result: 任命
McKnight Presidential Chair
2018
Organization: University of Minnesota
Result: 受賞
Minneapolis University Rotary Club — Citizen of the Year
2017
Organization: Minneapolis University Rotary Club
Result: 受賞
Outstanding Community Service Award
2014
Organization: University of Minnesota
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Health of Nations: Public Opinion and the Making of American and British Health Policy

1993 Political science / Public policy

A comparative study explaining differences in U.S. and British health policy formation by examining public opinion, interest groups, and administrative capacity.

comparative politicshealth policypublic opinion

Politicians Don't Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

2000 Political science / Political communication

Analyzes how politicians shifted from responding to public opinion to shaping it through messages and symbolism, reducing democratic responsiveness.

political communicationopinion formationdemocracy

Talking Together: Public Deliberation in America and the Search for Community

2009 Political science / Civic engagement

Empirical national study of how Americans engage in organized deliberation and civic persuasion, exploring the state of public deliberation.

public deliberationcivic participationpublic sphere

Fed Power: How Finance Wins

2016 Political economy / Public policy

Investigates the Federal Reserve's responses to the 2008 financial crisis and institutional biases favoring finance; second edition (2021) updates recent political developments.

central bankingfinance and politicsinequality

Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know

2015 Political science / Health policy

Overview of the Affordable Care Act's passage and effects, discussing political consequences and policy feedback on public opinion.

healthcare policypolicy feedbackpublic opinion change

Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History

2022 Political science / Contemporary politics

Analyzes the Trump era and the fractures in American democracy within a historical context, examining challenges to democratic institutions.

contemporary politicsdemocratic crisisU.S. political history

Bibliography

  • The Health of Nations: Public Opinion and the Making of American and British Health Policy (1993)
  • Politicians Don't Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness (2000)
  • Inequality and American Democracy: What We Know and What We Need to Learn (eds., 2005)
  • Healthy, Wealthy, and Fair: Health Care and the Good Society (eds., 2005)
  • Talking Together: Public Deliberation in America and the Search for Community (2009)
  • The Unsustainable American State (eds., 2009)
  • The Private Abuse of the Public Interest (eds., 2009)
  • Class War?: What Americans Really Think about Economic Inequality (eds., 2009)
  • Reaching for a New Deal (eds., 2011)
  • Obama at the Crossroads (eds., 2012)
  • The Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media (eds., 2013)
  • Who Governs?: Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation (2015)
  • Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know (2015)
  • Fed Power: How Finance Wins (2016; 2nd ed. 2021)
  • Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Empirical, comparative-political scholarly styleExpository analysis combining policy analysis and archival/historical evidence
Recurring Motifs
relationship between public opinion and policyhealthcare reform and policy feedbackpolitics of central banking and financepolitical effects of economic inequality

Legacy

A leading public intellectual and scholar whose work on public opinion, health policy, political communication, and central banking has influenced both academic research and public debate. Founder of CSPG at the University of Minnesota, contributing to civic dialogue and policy outreach.

Academic Societies

  • American Political Science Association
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • University of Minnesota — Humphrey School public records/archives

In Popular Culture

  • Frequent appearances and moderated discussions on C-SPAN and other media

Trivia

  • Met his wife Julie Schumacher in an English class at Oberlin College
  • Founded the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) in 2005
  • His wife Julie Schumacher is a novelist and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor