Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Lawrence R. Jacobs is McKnight Presidential Chair in Public Affairs, the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies, and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance in the Hubert H. Humphrey School and the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. The Center is a preeminent hub for political and policy analysis in the Midwest.
Jacobs has published 16 books and edited volumes and dozens of articles on elections, legislative and presidential politics, elections and public opinion, and a range of public policies. His most recent books include Fed Power: How Finance Wins (with Desmond King, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2016), Health Care Reform and American Politics, 3rd edition (with Theda Skocpol, Oxford University Press, 2015), Who Governs? Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation (with James Druckman, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015).
Politicians Don’t Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness (with Robert Y. Shapiro, University of Chicago Press, 2000) won three awards. Dr. Jacobs co-edits the “Chicago Series in American Politics” for the University of Chicago Press.
His research has been recognized by a number of prizes. His book, Politicians Don’t Pander received the Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center for Press and Politics, the Neustadt Book Prize from the American Political Science Association, and the Distinguished Book Prize in political sociology from the American Sociological Association.
In addition, his articles received awards from the American Political Science Association and International Communications Association. Dr. Jacobs also received a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Investigator Award in Health Policy Research. He chaired the Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy, which was convened by the American Political Science Association.
Jacobs has received grants from the McKnight Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Phillips foundation, and others.
Jacobs' research has been published and discussed in a number of mass media outlets including the BBC, National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio as well as ABC, NBC, CBS News, CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC, and The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Washington Monthly, The Pioneer Press, The Star Tribune, The New Republic, Congressional Quarterly, Roll Call, the National Journal, and other outlets. He has made regular presentations at the National Press Club and is a regular political commentator in Minnesota and nationwide.
Research interests
American political history; elections and voting behavior; health care policy; Midwestern swing states; presidential and legislative politics; public opinion and polling; Social Security; third party politics
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research Interest Keywords
- American political history
- elections and voting behavior
- health care policy
- Midwestern swing states
- presidential and legislative politics
- public opinion and polling
- Social Security
- third party politics
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
Creating a Pipeline to Election Administration:Building on the Infrastructure and Experience of the Certificate in Election Administration
Jacobs, L. (PI), Chittenden, L. (Other Role) & Jacket, C. M. (Other Role)
ELECTION TRUST INITIATIVE, LLC
10/24/24 → 12/31/25
Project: Research project
-
Capitol Steps Legislative Training Program
Jacobs, L. (PI)
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION, THE SAINT PAUL FOUNDATION
11/11/20 → 5/1/21
Project: Research project
-
-
Women, People of Color, and Indigenous State Leadership: Strengthening Networks and Building Capacity
Jacobs, L. (PI)
7/1/19 → 5/1/21
Project: Research project
-
-
Policy Threat, Partisanship, and the Case of the Affordable Care Act
Mettler, S., Jacobs, L. R. & Zhu, L., Feb 14 2023, In: American Political Science Review. 117, 1, p. 296-310 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access13 Scopus citations -
Polling and Pandering: The End of the Presidency’s Moral Authority?
Shapiro, R. Y. & Jacobs, L. R., Jan 1 2023, The Moral Authority of Government: Essays to Commemorate the Centennial of The National Institute of Social Sciences. Taylor and Francis, p. 45-50 6 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
-
Democratic Capacity: Election Administration as Bulwark and Target
Jacobs, L. R. & Choate, J., Jan 2022, In: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 699, 1, p. 22-35 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
11 Scopus citations -
The Pathways of Policy Feedback: How Health Reform Influences Political Efficacy and Participation
Jacobs, L. R., Mettler, S. & Zhu, L., Mar 16 2021, In: Policy Studies Journal. 50, 3, p. 483-506 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
39 Scopus citations -
What health reform tells us about American politics
Jacobs, L. R. & Mettler, S., Aug 2020, In: Journal of health politics, policy and law. 45, 4, p. 581-593 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
8 Scopus citations
Press/Media
-
Other states look to Minnesota for advice amid ongoing vote counts
11/7/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
-
U of M political expert: 'The losing candidate needs to gracefully concede'
11/6/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
-
What Absentee Voters Should Do If Their Ballots Have Already Been Mailed
10/31/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
-
Are younger people more reluctant to pursue public office?
10/29/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
-
Biden gains as suburban women and elderly voters turn backs on Trump
10/26/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview