AV

Robert J. McGrath

Photo of Robert J. McGrath

Associate Professor

Contact Information

rmcgrat2@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-4567
Fairfax Campus, Aquia Building, Room 319
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
MSN: 3F4

Personal Websites

Biography

Rob McGrath is an associate professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at AV. Hespecializes in American politics and quantitative political methodology and researches and teaches topics in American and comparative political institutions (legislatures, executives, and bureaucracies), public administration, and health policy.

McGrath's research tends to focus on how formal and informal governmental institutions interact to create policy outcomes in democratic systems of government. As such, his research gravitates toward the study of U.S. state politics and assesses how political reforms and institutional characteristics across the states affect the policy process, as well as important political, economic, and health outcomes. Current large-scale projects (i.e., spanning multiple papers/articles) include empirical examinations of the volume, content, and timing of state rulemaking (with Graeme Boushey, University of California, Irvine), explorations of how political inequalities and state policies drive gaps between the health of the wealthy and the health of the poor (with Bill Franko, West Virginia University), and assessments of how legislative committees are composed and operate across the spectrum of state legislatures in United States (with Josh Ryan, Utah State University).

He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Iowa and a BA from Saint ʱٱ’s College in his native New Jersey and spent two years (2013-15) as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan.

Curriculum Vitae

View Robert J. McGrath's CV

CONTACT INFORAMTION



Tel:(703)993-4567
Fax:(703)993-1399
4400UniversityDr.,MSN3F4
Fairfax, Virginia22030
rmcgrat2@gmu.edu

PROFESSIONALAPPOINTMENTS

–Fairfax,Virginia

AssociateProfessor,ScharSchoolofPolicyandGovernment 2017-present

DirectorofUndergraduatePrograms,ScharSchoolofPolicy andGovernment
2018-present

AssistantProfessor,Schar SchoolofPolicy andGovernment
2014- 2017

AssistantProfessor,DepartmentofPublicandInternationalAffairs
2011- 2014

–AnnArbor, Michigan
RobertWoodJohnson FoundationScholarinHealth Policy Research
2013- 2015

EDUCATION

Ph.D.,PoliticalScience,TheUniversityofIowa,July2011
Dissertation:StrategicOversightandtheInstitutionalDeterminantsofLegislativePolicyControl
Committee: FrederickJ.Boehmke(Chair),DouglasDion,ChristianB.Jensen,RaymondG. Riezman, and Charles R. Shipan (University of Michigan)
B.A.,PoliticalScience&Philosophy,Saintʱٱ’sCollege,2004

ARTICLES

GraemeBousheyandRobertJ.McGrath. N.d. (forthcoming). “DoesPartisan ConflictLead toIncreased BureaucraticPolicymaking? EvidencefromtheAmericanStates” JournalofPublic Administration Research and Theory.

RobertJ.McGrathandJoshM.Ryan. 2019(forthcoming). “PartyEffectsinStateLegislative Committees” Legislative Studies Quarterly.

JasonA.MacDonaldandRobertJ.McGrath. 2019(forthcoming). “ARacefortheRegs: Unified Government, Statutory Deadlines, and Federal Agency Rulemaking” Legislative Studies Quarterly.

RobertJ.McGrath,JonC.Rogowski,andJoshM.Ryan. 2018. “VetoOverrideRequirements and Executive Success.” Political Science Research and Methods6(1): 153-179.

Denise F. Lillvis and Robert J. McGrath.2017.“Directing Discipline: State Medical Board Responsiveness to State Legislatures." Journal of HealthPolitics,PolicyandLaw42(1): 123-165.

GraemeBousheyandRobertJ.McGrath. 2017. “Experts,Amateurs, andBureaucraticInfluenceintheAmerican States.”JournalofPublic AdministrationResearchandTheory27(1):85-103.

Note:Authororder alphabeticalandequalauthorshiponpublicationsandpapers,unless otherwise noted

  • Winnerofthe2015StatePoliticsandPolicyQuarterlyAwardforbestpaperonstatepolitics and policy presented at any professional meeting.

JasonA.MacDonaldandRobertJ.McGrath. 2016. “RetrospectiveCongressionalOversight andtheDynamics ofLegislativeInfluenceovertheBureaucracy.”LegislativeStudies Quarterly41(4): 899-934.

RobertJ.McGrathandJamesA.Rydberg. 2016. “TMarginalityHypothesisandSupreme Court Confirmation Votes in the Senate.” Congress & the Presidency43(3): 324-351.

John D. Marvel and Robert J. McGrath.2016.“Congress as Manager: Oversight Hearings and Agency Morale.” Journal of Public Policy.36(3): 489-520.

JeeyangRheeBaum,ChristianB.Jensen,andRobertJ.McGrath.2016.“ConstrainingaShadowy Future: Enacting APAs in Parliamentary Systems.”Legislative Studies Quarterly41(2): 471-499.

Robert J. McGrath, Jon C. Rogowski, and Josh M. Ryan.2015.“Gubernatorial Veto Powers and the Size of Legislative Coalitions.” Legislative Studies Quarterly40(4): 571-598.

Robert J. McGrath.2013.“Legislatures, Courts, and Statutory Control of the Bureaucracy across the U.S. States.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly13(3): 373-397.

Robert J. McGrath. 2013. “Congressional Oversight Hearings and Policy Control.” Legislative Studies Quarterly38(3): 353-380.

Robert J. McGrath.2013.“T Rise and Fall of Radical Civil Service Reform in the U.S. States.” Public Administration Review73(4): 638-649.

Christian B. Jensen and Robert J. McGrath.2011.“Making Rules About Rulemaking: A Comparison of Presidential and Parliamentary Systems.”Political Research Quarterly64(3): 656-667.

Robert J. McGrath.2011.“E𳦳ٴǰCompetitionand theFrequency ofInitiative Useinthe U.S.States.”AmericanPolitics Research39(3):611-638.

BOOKCHAPTER

Robert J. McGrath, Jon C. Rogowski, and Josh M. Ryan.2015.“T Power of Institutional Design:Governors,Vetoes, andLegislativeOutcomes.”InTheAmericanGovernor:Power,Constraint,andLeadershipintheStates,ed. DavidP.Redlawsk. NewYork,NY:Palgrave MacMillan.

BOOK REVIEW

ReviewofJamesM.Curry, LegislatingintheDark: InformationandPowerintheHouseofRepresentatives(Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2015), for the Journal of Politics, Volume 78, No. 2 (April 2016).

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW

“RulemakingSpeedintheU.S.States,”withGraemeBoushey—Invitedtoreviseandresubmit

AWARDS

StatePoliticsandPolicyQuarterlyAward(StatePolitics andPolicySection oftheAmericanPoliticalScience Association)forbestpaperonstatepolitics andpolicypresentedatanyprofessional meeting for “Experts, Amateurs, and Bureaucratic Influence in the American States,” with Graeme Boushey, 2015.

GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS

CollaborativeResearch:ResourceImplementationsforDataIntensive ResearchintheSocial Behavioral and Economic Sciences (RIDIR), National Science Foundation, “DAPPR: Diffusion Analytics for Public Policy Research,” with Frederick J. Boehmke, Bruce A. Desmarais, WilliamW.Franko,JeffreyJ.Harden,Yu-RuLin,andJasonWindett,October1,2016-September 30, 2019 [Total funding awarded: $808,128]

RobertWoodJohnson FoundationScholarsinHealthPolicy ResearchFellowship(University of Michigan site), 2013-2015

“T American Governor:Politics, Policy, Power and Leadership" Research Grant, Center on the American Governor—Eagleton Institute of Politics (Rutgers University), with Jon C. Rogowski and Josh M. Ryan, 2012 [$4,980 awarded]

GraduateCollege SummerFellowship,UniversityofIowa,2009

National Science Foundation award to attend Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) summer institute, University of Michigan, 2009.

National Science Foundation award to attend Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) summer institute, Washington University in St. Louis, 2008.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Summer Fellowship for intensive course in Yucatec Maya, The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of North Carolina-Duke University, 2005.

PoliticalScience GraduateFellowship,UniversityofIowa,2004–2010.

WORKING PAPERS/WORKS INPROGRESS

“TValueofStateLegislativedzٳٱ,”withJoshM.Ryan—workingpaper

“AVoice WhereitMatters: Legislative Committee Portfolios and the Substantive Representation of Women in State Legislatures,” with Josh M.RyanandJatiaWrighten—working paper

“U.S. State Policy and the Politics of Health Inequality,” with William W. Franko — working paper

“OccupationalLicensingandIncomeInequalityintheStates,”withWilliamW.Franko,WendyChen, and Steven Beasley — work in progress

“Congressional Oversight and the Capacity of Congressional dzٳٱ,”with Jason A. MacDonald and Nicole Kalaf-Hughes — work in progress

CONFERENCE/SEMINAR PARTICIPATION

  • Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL (2019 – Served as Section Chair for Bureaucratic Politics); (2016); (2015); (2014); (2013); (2012); (2011); (2010); (2009); (2008); (2007)
  • State Politics and Policy Conference, State College, PA (2018); St.Louis, MO (2017); Iowa City, IA (2013); Houston, TX (2012); Springfield, IL (2010)
  • “NewDevelopmentsintheStudy ofExecutivePolitics”conference,VanderbiltUniversity, Nashville, TN (2018)
  • IntroductiontoRProgrammingforStatisticalInference(10-daycourse),Georgian Institute for Public Affairs, Tbilisi, Georgia.Invited instructor on US State Department Grant (PIs: Priscilla Regan and Eric McGlinchey), July 25 - August 6, 2016; July 23 - August 4, 2017
  • Western PoliticalScienceAssociation, Vancouver,BC(2017); Portland,OR(2012)
  • AmericanPoliticalScienceAssociation,Philadelphia,PA(2016);SanFrancisco,CA(2015); Washington, DC (2014); Chicago, IL (2013); Washington, DC (2010); Boston, MA (2008)
  • University ofVirginia, AmericanPoliticsSeminar,Charlottesville, VA(2016)
  • RobertWoodJohnsonFoundationScholarsinHealth PolicyResearchAnnual Meeting, Coronado, CA (2015); Indianapolis, IN (2014); Princeton, NJ (2013)
  • SouthernCaliforniaLawandSocial ScienceForum,“Regulation,LawandSocial Science,” University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (2015)
  • “LawmakingandOversightinanEraofPolarization”symposium,WestVirginia University, Morgantown, WV (2014)
  • “NewFrontiersinPolicy Diffusion”conference,UniversityofIowa,IowaCity,IA(2014)
  • RutgersUniversity,EagletonInstituteofPolitics,NewBrunswick,NJ(2013);(2012)
  • SouthernPoliticalScienceAssociation,Orlando, FL(2013)

ADDITIONAL TRAINING

EmpiricalImplicationsofTheoreticalModels (EITM)SummerInstitute

  • UniversityofMichigan,June-July2009
  • WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis,June2008

TheUniversityofIowaCollegeofLaw

  • CourseinAdministrativeLaw,Fall2007

COURSES TAUGHT

Graduate

  • U.S.Policy-MakingProcesses:Fall2018,Fall2017
  • MultivariateStatisticalAnalysisinPublicPolicy:Spring2016
  • SeminarinAmericanGovernmentandPolitics:Fall2016,Spring2016,Fall2015
  • SeminarinCongressandLegislativeBehavior:Fall2016
  • SeminarinthePresidency:Fall2015,Fall2012
  • SeminarinPoliticsandBureaucracy:Spring2012
  • SeminarinTheoriesofPublicAdministration:Fall2011

Undergraduate

  • ResearchMethods andAnalysis:Spring2019
  • LegislativeBehavior:Fall2018,Fall2017;Spring2012,Summer2011
  • IntroductiontoAmericanGovernment:Summer2017;Spring2017,2016
  • PoliticalPartiesandCampaigns:Summer2016
  • TheAmericanPresidency:Summer2013,Fall2012,Fall2011

InternshipCoordination

  • Summer2012

STUDENTS SUPERVISED

DissertationCommittees:

  • Brian Alexander, Ph.D (Political Science, 2015), AV, Committee Member (current position: Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee University)
  • KirkHeffelmire, Ph.D(PublicPolicy,2018), ұǰѲDzԾٲ,CommitteeMember
  • ScottAtherley,Ph.DCandidate(PoliticalScience,ABD),ұǰѲDzԾٲ,Chair
  • Tia Wrighten,Ph.D Student(PoliticalScience,ABD),GeorgeMasonUniversity,Chair
  • AdamBernbaum,Ph.DStudent(PoliticalScience,ABD),ұǰѲDzԾٲ, Chair
  • BrianJanssen,Ph.DCandidate(PoliticalScience,ABD),UniversityofIowa,Committee Member
  • Phil Pedlikin, Ph.D Candidate (Public Policy, ABD), AV, Commit-tee Member
  • JihyeLim,Ph.DStudent(PoliticalScience,ABD),ұǰѲDzԾٲ,Committee Member
  • Ashley Hess, Ph.D Student (Biodefense, ABD), AV, Committee Member

UndergraduateHonors Theses:

  • AmandaPatarino,BA(2016),GeorgeMasonUniversity,Thesis Supervisor

SERVICE

GeorgeMasonUniversity,ScharSchoolofPolicyandGovernment:

  • 2018topresent–DirectorofUndergraduatePrograms(Schar)
  • 2018topresent–CoordinatorofUndergraduateResearch AssistantsProgram(Schar)
  • 2019–Member,Public PolicyPhDAdmissionsCommittee(Schar)
  • 2018–Member,Public PolicyPhDAdmissionsCommittee(Schar)
  • 2018–Member,UndergraduateCouncil(University)
  • 2018–Member,PromotionandTenureLiaison Committee(Schar)
  • 2017–Member,Political MethodologySearchCommittee(Schar)
  • 2016–Member,Public PolicyPhDAdmissionsCommittee(Schar)
  • 2015-2016–Coordinator,Workshop forResearchinPoliticalScience(Schar)
  • 2015-2017–Member,CurriculumCommittee(Schar)
  • 2015-2016–Member,American PoliticsQualifyingExamCommittee(Schar)

GeorgeMasonUniversity,DepartmentofPublicandInternationalAffairs:

  • 2012-2013–Member,Public AdministrationFacultySearch Committee
  • 2012-2013–Member,American PoliticsQualifyingExamCommittee
  • 2012–SummerInternshipCoordinator
  • 2011-2012–Member,Graduate AdmissionsCommittee
  • 2011-2012–Member,Graduate CurriculumCommittee

MANUSCRIPT REVIEW

Occasionalreviewer forthefollowing journalsandpublishers:

The American Journal of Political Science, American Politics Research, American Political Science Review, Canadian Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, Policy Studies Journal, PublicAdministrationReview,StatePolitics andPolicyQuarterly,andforOxfordUniversityPress, W.W.Norton&Company

Areas of Research

  • Federalism/State and Local Government
  • Health Policy
  • Legislatures
  • Presidency and Executive Branch
  • Quantitative Methods