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John B. Holbein

Associate Professor of Public Policy, Politics, and Education, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia

About John

Holbein is a political scientist who studies the forces that drive individuals to participate in the education process; the role of interest groups in influencing education policy; the role of social class; and policies that alleviate poverty. In the past; he has worked at various levels of government; both state and federal; producing research on a number of issues (taxation; program evaluation; and international education). In addition; he has served as a consultant for the Family Impact Seminar; which provided the North Carolina General Assembly with high quality research on poverty.

Contributions

Are Politicians Prejudiced against the Poor?

  • Nicholas Carnes

In the News

Opinion: "New Research Has Uncovered a Surprising Factor That Helps People Vote. And It Involves Marshmallows.," John B. Holbein, The Washington Post, October 4, 2015.
Research discussed by "'No Child Left Behind' Leaves Some Voters Behind," EurekAlert, September 24, 2015.

Publications

"Don’t Take It Personally: Affluence, Influence, and Prejudice," (with Nicholas Carnes), Sanford School of Public Policy, November 30, 2012.
Examines the responsiveness of politicians to constituents of different class backgrounds. Finds that legislators respond equally to constituents from blue and white-collar backgrounds. In addition, inequalities of representation are most likely not due to prejudice.
"Recent Legislative Work on Poverty" in Working Towards Greater Prosperity in North Carolina: Effective Employment Strategies, edited by Jeannine Sato, Joel Rosch, Jenni Owen, Amy Finnegan, Suzanne Valdivia, and Shannon Smith (North Carolina Family Impact Seminar Publication, 2012), 37-42.
Examines recent legislative work on poverty. Finds that in spite of a climate of budget cuts, state legislatures have continued to implement policies targeted at reducing poverty. These policies fall in the areas of workforce development, career academies, and early education.
"History of the Utah Tax Structure," (with Andre Baksh and Jin Dai), Utah State Tax Commission, May 31, 2011.
Examines the historical roots of the Utah tax structure. Analyzes the impact of various policy shifts on revenues and further legislation.