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Elizabeth Rigby

Associate Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington University
Chapter Leader: Maryland-Washington, D.C. SSN
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About Elizabeth

Rigby's work examines the politics of inequality and redistribution: identifying conditions shaping the public's policy preferences, examining the policymaking process that shapes health, education, and welfare policies, and assessing the consequences of these policy choices on the level of racial and income inequality in our society. Rigby has worked at the intersection of politics, inequality, and public policy in a range of roles and organizations including: Senate Finance Committee, Project Vote Smart, Citizens for Missouri's Children, the National Center for Children and Families, and St. Louis Public Schools.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | Member Spotlight | In the News | Publications

Contributions

How States Can Fight Growing Economic Inequality

  • Megan E. Hatch
Key Findings Brief,

Do Election Reforms Promote Equal Participation?

Key Findings Brief,

In the News

Opinion: "Democratic Policymakers Increasingly Support Reparations Commissions, but are They More Than a Symbolic Gesture?," Elizabeth Rigby, American Politics and Policy, London School of Economics, June 16, 2025.
Quoted by Dylan Matthews in "Studies: Democratic Politicians Represent Middle-Class Voters. GOP Politicians Don’t.," Vox, April 2, 2018.
Research discussed by Sean McElwee, in "The Scary Lessons of Matt Bevin: What We Can Learn about American Politics from the Right Wing’s Destructive Anti-Medicaid Crusade," Salon, November 7, 2015.
Quoted by Jessica Leber in "What the 2016 Presidential Candidates Talk about When They Talk about Inequality," Fast Company Co.Exist, September 8, 2015.
Quoted by Sean McElwee in "The Economy is a Democrat: Why Recent History Shows the Value of a Progressive President," Salon, March 28, 2015.
Opinion: "States Can Fight Growing Economic Inequality through Lowering Taxes on the Poor, and Stricter Labor Market Policies," Elizabeth Rigby (with Megan E. Hatch), London School of Economics Blog, January 27, 2015.
Opinion: "Not All Election Reforms Promote Equality," Elizabeth Rigby, Boston Globe, March 4, 2014.
Opinion: "Note to the Very Rich: Very Large Taxes = Very Large Benefits," Elizabeth Rigby, The Huffington Post, February 2, 2011.
Opinion: "School Lunch Programs Help Reverse Childhood Obesity," Elizabeth Rigby (with Rachel Kimbro), The Houston Chronicle, March 5, 2010.
Opinion: "Why Majority Support Does Not Guarantee Health Reform (and Why This isn’t All Bad)," Elizabeth Rigby, The Huffington Post, October 21, 2009.
Opinion: "Progressive Agenda Tip #1: Pay Your Taxes," Elizabeth Rigby, The Huffington Post, February 3, 2009.
Opinion: "On This of All MLK Days, Commit to Service Projects," Elizabeth Rigby, The Huffington Post, January 19, 2009.

Publications

"Democratic Policymakers’ Ambiguous Support for Reparations: Implications for the Policymaking Process" Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 10, no. 2 (2025): 396-425.

Investigates the increasing, but complex, support for reparations among Democratic elected officials—highlighting their tendency to endorse the concept while deferring discussion of policy details. Findings suggest that commissions can help manage political tensions, but their impact depends on how they’re designed and used.

"Are Democrats Really the Party of the Poor? Partisanship, Class, and Representation in the U.S. Senate" (with Cory Maks-Solomon). Political Research Quarterly 73, no. 4 (2019).

Challenges the common view that Republicans mainly represent the wealthy while Democrats represent lower-income voters, arguing that senators from both parties tend to represent the preferences of their own party members regardless of party. Findings show that when rich and poor co-partisans disagree (on social issues for Democrats and economic issues for Republicans), senators side more often with affluent members of their party.

"Academic Research and Legislative Advocacy: Information Use in the Campaign against Repeal of the ACA" (with Kimberly J. Morgan). Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law 43, no. 3 (2018).

Explores the role of academic research in advocacy materials prepared for and used by a high-profile coalition working to block repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

"For Richer or Poorer: The Politics of Redistribution in Bad Economic Times" (with Megan Hatch). Political Research Quarterly 70, no. 3 (2017): 590-603.

Examines the role of state economic conditions on their taxing and spending policies, showing how these dynamics differ under Democratic versus Republican party control.

"Incorporating Economic Policy into a "Health-in-All-Policies' Agenda" (with Megan Hatch). Health Affairs 35, no. 1 (2016): 2044-2052.

Highlights the often-overlooked role of economic policies, such as minimum wage, on health outcomes at the state-level.

"Laboratories of (In)equality? Redistributive Policy and Income Inequality in the American States" (with Megan Hatch). Policy Studies Journal 43, no. 2 (2015): 163-187.

Examines the variation and change in state income inequality as a function of state-level policy decisions regarding taxing the wealthy, spending on the poor, and regulating the market. 

"Policymaking by Other Means: Do Governments Use Administrative Barriers to Limit Access to Medicaid?" (with Donald P. Moynihan and Pamela Herd). Administration and Society 48, no. 4 (2013): 497-524.

Documents the variation in red tape facing individuals attempting to enroll in Medicaid, and explores how that varies across states in ways related to states' political and economic contexts.

"Political Parties and Representation of the Poor in the American States" (with Gerald C. Wright). American Journal of Political Science 57, no. 3 (2013): 552-565.

Compares the relationship between state parties' policy platforms and the policy priorities of their low-income, middle-income, and high-income constituents.