Robert M. Stein is an American political scientist and Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of political science at Rice University. He is an expert in urban politics and public policy. He co-authored Perpetuating the Pork Barrel: Policy Subsystems and American Democracy and authored Urban Alternatives: Public and Private Markets in the Provision of Local Services.
Biography
Stein was born in New York City. After graduation from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1972, he pursued graduate study at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and obtained M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1974 and 1977, respectively. Before joining Rice University, Stein taught at University of Georgia for a short time. At Rice University, he has served as Department Chair of Political Science and Dean of School of Social Sciences, among other appointments. He has been Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science since 1996. Stein has also been editorial board members of American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Social Science Quarterly, State and Local Government Review and Urban Affairs Review.
Awards
Best paper award on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations for “Inter-Local Cooperation and the Distribution of Federal Grants,” by the section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations, American Political Science Association, 2004
President, Urban Politics Subsection, American Political Science Association, 1999-2000.
President, Southwestern Political Science Association, 1998.
Special book award from the Urban Politics and Policy Section of the American Political Science Association for, Urban Alternatives: Private and Public Markets in the Provision of Local Services, 1991.
The Changing Structure of Federal Aid and the Politics of the Electoral Connection. Funded by the National Science Foundation 2001-2002. SES0095997 Co-PI, 2001-2003.
Selective Universalization of Domestic Public Policy. Funded by the National Science Foundation 1990-1992.
The Structural Character of Federal Grants-in-Aid. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 1982-83.
The Allocation of Federal Grants-in-Aid. Funded by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. 1979-1981.
The Allocation of State-Local Aid: An Examination of Within State Variation. Funded by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. 1979-1981.
Selected publications
Books
Articles
"Voting technology, election administration and voter performance", Election Law Journal, 7:123–135 with Greg Vonnahme, Michael Byrne and Daniel Wallach.
"Engaging the unengaged voter: Voter centers and voter turnout", Journal of Politics. 2:487–497 with Greg Vonnahme.
"Assessing the Micro-Foundations of the Tiebout Model", Urban Affairs Review, 42:57–80, with Kenneth Bickers and Lapo Salucci.
"Voting for Minority Candidates in Multi-Racial/Ethnic Communities", Urban Affairs Review, 41:157–181 with Stacy Ulbig and Stephanie Post.
"Inter-Local Cooperation and the Distribution of Federal Grant Awards", Journal of Politics, 66:800–22 with Kenneth Bickers.
"Language Choice, Residential Stability, and Voting among Latino-Americans", Social Science Quarterly, 84:412–24, with Martin Johnson and Robert Wrinkle.
"The Congressional Pork Barrel in a Republican Era", Journal of Politics, 62:1070–1086 with Kenneth Bickers.
"Reconciling Context and Contact Effects on Racial Attitudes", Political Research Quarterly. 53:285–303, with Stephanie Shirley Post and Allison Rinden.
"The Micro Foundations of the Tiebout Model", Urban Affairs Review 34:76–93 with Kenneth Bickers.
"Early Voting", Public Opinion Quarterly. 62:57–70.
"Voting Early, But Not Often", Social Science Quarterly 78:657–677 with Patricia Garcia-Monet.
"The Electoral Dynamics of the Federal Pork Barrel", American Journal of Political Science, 40:1300–1326 with Kenneth Bickers.
"Explaining State Aid Allocations: Targeting Within Universalism", Social Science Quarterly, 75:524–540 with Keith E. Hamm
"Congressional Elections and the Pork Barrel", Journal of Politics, 56:377–399 with Kenneth Bickers.
"Universalism and the Electoral Connection: A Test and Some Doubts", Political Research Quarterly, 47:295–318 with Kenneth N. Bickers.
"Response to Weingast's 'Reflections on Distributive Politics and Universalism, Political Research Quarterly: 47:329–334 with Kenneth N. Bickers.
"Arranging City Services", Journal of Public Administration: Research and Theory 3:66–93.
"The Budgetary Effects of Municipal Service Contracting: A Principal-Agent Explanation", American Journal of Political Science. 34:471–502.
"Economic Voting for Governor and U.S. Senator: The Electoral Consequences of Federalism", Journal of Politics 52:29–54.
"Market Maximization of Individual Preferences and Metropolitan Municipal Service Responsibility", Urban Affairs Quarterly 24:86–116.
"A Comparative Analysis of the Targeting Capacity of State and Federal Intergovernmental Aid Allocations: 1977–1982", Social Science Quarterly. With K. Hamm.
"Municipal Public Employment: An Examination of Intergovernmental Influences". American Journal of Political Science, 28:636–653.
"Implementation of Federal Policy: An Extension of the 'Differentiated Theory of Federalism, Research in Urban Policy, 3:341–348
