Show 82: Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke University Dr. Nick Carnes

Show Information

Show: 82
Air date: Saturday, October 5
Guest: Dr. Nick Carnes
Host: Steve Woods (Stevoe)
Studio Contributor Debi Davis
Executive Producer: Mark Gould (Sharky)
Assistant Producer: Shannon Maguire

Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke University, Dr. Nicholas “Nick” Carnes grew up in Southeast Kansas, and went to college at the University of Tulsa to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.  Carnes then went on to earn both his Masters and his Ph.D. at Princeton University.  Carnes’ research focuses on how the shortage of working-class people in American legislatures leads to policies that favor the interests of the wealthy.

Image courtesy of Duke University

Image courtesy of Duke University

In 2012, Dr. Carnes became a professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.   At Duke, he teaches courses on U.S. politics, with concentration on why politicians are so much better off than the citizens they represent and how that affects public policy.  Prior to becoming Assistant Professor at Duke, in 2011 he was a Lecturer at Duke in Public Policy.

Carnes has published numerous articles, including “Holding Mayors Accountable:  New York’s Executives from Koch to Bloomberg” and “Does the Numerical Underrepresentation of the Working Class in Congress Matter?” and “Which Millionaire Are You Voting For?”  Carnes has a new book coming out in November, “White-Collar Government:  The Hidden Role of Class in Economic Policy Maiking”.

Stevoe and Carnes discussed three policy proposals, including the need for broad civic engagement,  the importance of reigning in the amount of money involved in the political process and the reality that a well-informed electorate must ensure that their politicians represent the people.

Carnes is also the co-director of the North Carolina Research Triangle chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN).  SSN is a national organization of engaged scholars who work to make academic research accessible to policy makers, journalists, and citizens.  SSN members engage in consultations with policymakers in Washington D.C. and state capitals. They make regular contributions to the media and share their research findings with journalists and bloggers. SSN scholars are also committed to working closely with advocates and leaders of citizen associations to come to better understandings of the nation’s social and political challenges.

Carnes was in Maine October 2-3 to participate in three talks with the Maine Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network at the University of Maine, including “Why Do Millionaires Run the Country?”


Posted on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 and filed under Show Recaps.