James A. Thurber


James Allen Thurber is University Distinguished Professor of Government and Founder and Former Director of the Center for Congressional and
Presidential Studies and Affiliate Distinguished Professor of
Public Administration and Policy at American University, Washington, D.C. He is
author or editor of numerous books and more than 90 articles and chapters on Congress,
the U.S. presidency, interest groups and lobbying, and campaigns and elections. His four
most recent books are: Campaigns and Elections, American Style, Congress and Diaspora Politics:  The Influence
of Ethnic and Foreign Lobbying,
American Gridlock: The Sources, Character and Impact of Political Polarization and Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations
. He is also an author or editor of Obama in Office
, Congress and the Internet, The Battle for
Congress: Consultants, Candidates, and Voters, Crowded Airwaves: Campaign
Advertising in Elections, Campaign Warriors:
Political Consultants in Elections, Remaking Congress: The Politics of
Congressional Stability and Change, Divided Democracy:
Cooperation and Conflict Between Presidents and Congress, and Setting Course:
A Congressional Management Guide.

Career

During his tenure at American, Thurber served as the principal investigator of a seven-year study of campaign conduct supported by a Pew Charitable Trusts grant and as principal investigator of a four-year study analyzing lobbying and ethics for the Committee for Economic Development, and is working on international lobbying and ethics reform with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He founded the biannual Campaign Management Institute, the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute, and annual European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute in Brussels. He was worked for several members of the U.S. Congress on congressional reorganization, ethics, and lobbying reform since 1976.
Thurber was honored as the American University Scholar/Teacher of the Year in 1996 and received the 2010 Walter Beach Pi Sigma Alpha American Political Science Association award for his work combining applied and academic research. He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a member of the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Lobbying Law Reform. Thurber was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in 1973-74 and is currently on its Executive Board. He was awarded the Senator Mark O. Hatfield Annual Award for Applied Public Policy Research. He serves on the executive board of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. He has lectured at over 100 universities in the U.S. and in 40
countries.
Thurber earned a BS in political science from the University of Oregon and PhD in political science from Indiana University.

Publications

Thurber has authored and edited several books.
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Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program, 1989-1993.
Process.
Institutional Change in the U.S. Congress.
Process.
Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1991). Also translated into Spanish and
Russian, 1994 and 1995.
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Commission Generic Communications .
Safety.
License for a Nuclear Power Plant.
Objectives and Criteria,.
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Plants.
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Publications: Refereed Academic Journal Articles
"Politicheskaia poliarizatsiia, vybory 2016 goda v
SShA i budushchee amerikanskoi demokratii," Moscow State University Bulletin Ser. 12, No. 3, Politicheskie nauki, May-June, 2016, pp. 77-91,
Wisdom,” Interest Groups & Advocacy, Vol. 4, No. 1, March 2015, pp. 40-52 with Patrick
Griffin.
Blackpast.org, March 2014.
Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, pp. 17-24.
Obama’s Battle with Lobbyists,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, 41, no. 2, pp.
358-374
Law Review, Volume 63, No. 3, Summer 2011, pp. 419-465 with Members of the Task Force
on Federal Lobbying Laws, Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice,
American Bar Association.
Does Nothing About Reforming Itself.” Extensions: A Journal of the Carl Albert
Congressional Research and Studies Center, pp. 10-15.
Administration Review, with R. Sam Garrett, A. Lee Fritschler, and
David H. Rosenbloom. pp. 228-240.
Volume XXXV, Number 3, September 2002.
Issue 2, July 2002.
Legislative Studies Group, Spring 2002.
Observations from Inside the Process,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, 30, no. 3
, 2000, pp. 553-563 with Gary Andres and Patrick Griffin.
Number 2, July 2000.
Number 2, June/July 2000 with David Dulio.
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House of Representatives,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 52, No.2, June 1999, pp. 387-
402 with Jeff Gill.
Politics, vol. 32, no. 1, p. 53-59, with David Dulio and Donald L. Goff]
Science & Politics, June 1998, 32 : pp. 145-149.
Budgeting and Finance, December 1997, pp. 66-73.
pp. 6-10.
of Crisis," Administrative Law Journal, Volume 9, Number 1, Spring 1995, pp. 1-43.
1994-95, pp. 13-16.
International Journal on High Level Nuclear Waste, Fall 1993, pp. 103-18.
Complex Clean-Up, Political Science, No. 283, pp. 121-139 also in Eric B. Herzik and
Alvin H. Mushkatel, Problems and Prospects in Nuclear Waste Disposal Policy
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LXV, June, 1992, pp. 108-113.
PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. XXIV, No. 4, December 1991, pp. 653-657.
Annals, 499, September 1988, pp. 101-113.
and Regulatory Needs," IEEE Journal on Human Factors and Power Plants, January 1988,
pp. 484-487.
in American Nuclear Society and European Nuclear Society Advances in Human Factors in
Nuclear Power Systems, pp. 109118.
Performance," in IEEE Journal on Human Factors and Power Plants, pp. 89115.
1985.
autumn 1984.
and Politics, summer 1981, Vol. XIV, No. 3.
, Policy Studies Review Annual.
Congress," Policy Studies Journal, Autumn, 1977.
Vol.2, No.2, Spring, 1976, pp.197215. Reprinted twice in textbooks.
Analysis," Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol.1, No.4, November 1976.
Studies Journal, Vol.5, No.1, November 1976.
No.2, December 1973.
Publications: Articles, Blogs and Chapters
Transformation of American Political Campaigns,” in Candice J. Nelson and James A.
Thurber Campaigns and Elections American Style: The Changing Landscape of
Political Campaigns.
James A. Thurber Campaigns and Elections American Style: The Changing
Landscape of Political Campaigns 2018.
The Influence of Ethnic and Foreign Lobbying .
James A. Thurber and Jordan Tama Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional
Relations, 1-30.
James A. Thurber and Jordan Tama Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional
Relations, 198-216.
Cambridge University Press Blog, January 29, 2016.
Posner, Janice R. LaChance, and Tonya T. Neaves, Memos to National Leaders
Washington, DC: The National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society
for Public Administration, 2016).
and Impact of Political Polarization, 1-19.
and Impact of Political Polarization, 378-389.
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and Gillian Peele, Developments in American Politics .
for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations, 1-27.
James A. Thurber, Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations, 137-155.
Deadlock,” in Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered
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Philip John Davies, Broken Government? Politics in the Obama
Era.
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Difference? Exploring the Relationship Among Candidates, Campaign Consultants.
Lobbyists, and Elected and Appointed Public Officials,” in Corruption and American
Politics., pp. 177-207.
Presidential Campaign,” in Erik Jones and Salvatore Vassallo, The 2008 Presidential
Election: A Story in Four Acts, pp. 99-114
Congressional Relations, pp. 1-36.
and Elections American Style, pp. 1-34.
Vassaloo, L’America Di Obama: Le elezioni del 2008 e le implicazioni per l’Europa
, pp. 119-136
Congress and the Presidency, Vol. 36, Issue 3, September-December 2009, Special 25 th
Anniversary Issue.
Management,.
Theory Meets Practice, PP. 203-225.
Health of American Campaigning.
Quantitative Methods in Practice, with David A. Dulio
and Donald L. Goff.
Thurber and Candice J. Nelson, Campaigns and Elections American Style.
Consultants,” Campaigns & Elections, October/November 2003.
September 2003.
2002-January 2003.
and the Internet.
Past, Present, and Future,” in John C. Green and Rick Farmer, State and of the
Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary American Parties with David A. Dulio.
Congressional Relations.
Congressional Relations.
Herrnson, Responsible Partisanship? The Evolution of American Political Parties
Since 1950 with David B. Magleby
and Kelly D. Patterson.
Elections, September 2002, Vol. 23, No. 9 with David A. Dulio, Robin Kolodny and Candice
J. Nelson.
Perspectives on Campaign Ethics.
Assessment of Responsible Parties in America
with David B. Magleby and Kelly D. Patterson.
"Curriculum Guide”.
Available at http://www.nationalmockelection.com/curriculumpage/curriculum.htm.
Team,”.
District,” in James A. Thurber, The Battle for Congress: Candidates, Consultants and
Voters,.
Consultants and Voters,.
in Elections, .
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Elections, .
Advertising in Elections,.
Campaign Advertising in Elections,
pp. 170-179, with David Dulio and Candice J. Nelson.
Deliberation in the U.S. Senate, Burdett A. Loomis, ed.,, pp. 241-258.
2001.
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the U.S. Senate.
Partners for CCPS.
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Electing Candidates and What They Reveal about Their Ethical Practice,” AU-CCPS
Research Report, with Yankelovich Partners, July 1999.
1999.
Dulio.
congressional offices, AU-CCPS Research Report, May 3, 1999 with Donald L. Goff,
Katherine Creecy, John McPhillips, and Christine Pollak.
Reform,” in Nicole C. Rae and Colton Campbell, New Majority or Old Minority: the
Impact of Republicans on Congress.
Research Report, February 17, 1998.
and Elections, August 1998, pp. 54-61.
Course Syllabi, pp. 211-
238.
Politics,” in Herrnson, Shaiko, and Wilcox, The Interest Group Connection,
, pp. 154-173.
in James Pfiffner and Roger Davidson, Understanding the Presidency, pp. 348-357.
Lawrence Dodd and Bruce Oppenheimer Congress Reconsidered, pp. 325-346.
The American Impasse: U.S. Domestic and Foreign Policy After the Cold War, pp. 58-75.
Dilemma: Die Vereinigten Staaten nach dem Ende des Ost-West-Konflikts, pp. 79-99.
Transformations in Society and Government: Implications for Academic Health Centers -
Proceedings of 1996 Spring Meeting, pp. 1-6.
Presidential-Congressional Relations, p.1-19.
Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations pp. 191-
213.
Rockman, Agenda for Excellence: Administering the State, pp.76-104.
, pp. 13-19.
‘Scoop’ Jackson,” “Biography of U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson,”
“The Congressional Budget Office,” “Iron Triangles,” and the “U.S. Senate Budget
Committee,” in Roger Davidson, et al, The Encyclopedia of the United States
Congress.
Makes Public Policy: The Struggle for Control Between Congress and the Executive
, pp. 62-84.
et al, Who Makes Public Policy?: The struggle for Control Between Congress and the
Executive, pp. 127-151.
Accountability," in L. Dodd and B. Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered 5th ed.
, pp. 375-400.
Complex Clean-Up in Eric B. Herzik and Alvin H. Mushkatel, Problems and
Prospects in Nuclear Waste Disposal Policy.
of Governance: Its National and International Settings, pp. 25-48.
H. Davidson, The Postreform Congress, pp. 257-
278.
Political Parties and Elections.
, pp. 1-10.
in J. Thurber, Divided Democracy, pp. 145-171.
pp. 58-72.
Thomas D. Lynch, Federal Budget and Financial Management Reform, pp. 53-88.
Loomis, Interest Group Politics, pp. 302-348.
Maidment and A. Zvesper, Reflections on the Constitution: The American
Constitution After Two Hundred Years, pp. 51-75.
in D.K. Adams, Studies in Modern American Politics, pp. 78-118.
Conflict," in Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis, Interest Group Politics
,
pp. 202220.
Review Criteria for International Safeguards,.
Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, pp. 246274.
, The House at Work.
Science Association Annual Spring Meeting of 1977.
Rieselbach, Legislative Reform.
Lyden and Ernest G. Miller PlanningProgramming Budgeting: A Systems Approach
to Management.
Differences, in Dodd and Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered.
Administrative Review.
Susan Welsh, The Impact of Legislative Reform on Public Policy.
Political Science Association Annual Spring Meeting of 1976.
, Public Administration and Public Policy.
Committee System," in The Senate Committee System: Jurisdictions, Referrals, Numbers
and Sizes, and Limitations on Members.
Jurisdictions, Referrals, Numbers and Sizes, and Limitations on Members.
Jurisdictions, Referrals, Numbers and Sizes, and Limitation on Membership.
Robert Sexton, Dimensions of Experiential Education.
No. 2 April 1973.
October 1972.