JOHN C. SCOTT, J.D., Ph.D.
Welcome to My Home Page! I am an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a research scientist at the UNC Institute on Aging. On this page, you will find the following:



Above is a graphical example from my research on lobbying: A Social Network of Pension Lobbyists via Issue Affiliation, July-Dec. 2004: Colors indicate different interests (e.g., dark green represents financial services and red represents labor), shapes refer to organization type (e.g., triangles are membership organizations such as unions and associations, circles are self-representing organizations such as corporations and non-profits, and squares are for-hire lobbyists such as law and public relations firms), line thickness relates to strength of tie in terms of common issues, and size corresponds to the amount of time spent lobbying in the policy domain.

Academic and Current Research Interests


My broad academic interests include: My main research is concerned with the micro-foundations of political life. I look broadly at the role and practice of lobbying as compared to non-institutional actors such as social movement organizations. I particularly examine the social norms and intereactions among lobbyists in policy domains.
I also have an interest in population aging and its effects on social pension systems and the transition from work to retirement. Specifically, in a couple of papers with my co-authors, I look at the phenomenon of phased retirement, which is the gradual reduction of hours worked or job responsibilities as one approaches full retirement. Another aging-related focus in my current work is connecting the erosion of retirement income security with changes in political and economic institutions. I argue that the system of tax laws and institutions governing private pensions both directs political change as well as responses to such change in a way that has facilitated the erosion of old age income security for workers.

Publications, Working Papers, Presentations


"All Politics Is (Not) Local: The Structure of Lobbying in North Carolina." A working paper presented at the Harvard Political Networks Conference, Cambridge, MA, June 12, 2009.

"The Aging Workforce in Carolina: Challenges and Opportunities." An article written (with Andy Sharma) for Carolina Context, June 2009.

"'We are not alone': Virtual Strong Ties of Activists Over Time." A working paper on Internet-based ties among social movement activists and lobbyists. Presented at the 2007 Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, April 12, and at the Collective Behavior and Social Movement Workshop at Hofstra University, August 2007.

"Bad Jobs on the Way to Retirement? Phased Retirement and the Transition from Work to Retirement." With Yung-Ping Chen and Jie Chen.

With Stephen L. Morgan, I have completed an article that is in press in Social Science Research and discusses wealth inequality among older Americans and how such inequality may or may not perpetuate inequality in future generations (the article can be found here.)

"Baltimore Bricolage: Networks, Entrepreneurs, Social Movements, and Institutional Actors." A working paper on social network innovation among elites and social movement groups in 1960s Baltimore over the issue of urban freeway development.

"Does Phased Retirement Extend the Worklife? Evidence from Event History and Growth Curve Analysis." A working paper on the phenomenon of phased retirement and whether it extends or shortens the working lives of older Americans.

"Risk, Institutions, and the Erosion of Old-Age Income Security." A working paper presented at the Graduate Student Workshop of the Thunder of History: Taxation in a Comparative and Historical Perspective, Northwestern University, May 2007.

"Cooperation and Collusion: The Social Ambivalence of Lobbying in America." My dissertation manuscript, July 2008.

"Phased Retirement: Who Opts For It and Towards What End?", with Yung-Ping Chen, January 2006 (from the AARP website).

Course Syllabi


PLCY 220: The Politics of Public Policy (Spring 2009)
PLCY 716: Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy (Spring 2009)
Coming soon: PLCY 691H: Senior Honors Thesis (Fall 2009)
Coming soon: PLCY 420: Taxation and Public Policy (Spring 2010)

Interesting Links on Politics, Policy, and Social Networks

Complexity and Social Networks Blog
Program on Networked Governance at Harvard University
Public Policy Polling Blog
Tax Vox: The Tax Policy Center Blog (Urban Institute and Brookings Institute)
OpenSecrets.org (Center for Responsive Politics)
PoliticalMaps.org
THOMAS, the Online Library of Congress Database
North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research
Washington Post Politics Website
Raleigh News & Observer Politics Website
International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)




Contact Information:
John C. Scott
211 Abernethy Hall
Department of Public Policy
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3435
Email: jcscott@email.unc.edu
Telephone: (919) 962-0649



Last Updated on
June 24, 2009


NOTE: This site is under development so check back if the information you are looking for is not immediately available or just let me know how I can help.


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