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Sarah E. James

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Gonzaga University
Areas of Expertise:

Connect with Sarah

509-313-6765
Personal Website

About Sarah

James's research examines barriers to addressing racial and economic inequalities in the United States, with an eye to specifying how public officials and communities can overcome these obstacles. She focuses on state-level institutions and politics, given their increasing power over the design and funding of the American social safety net.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

How to Revitalize America's Local Political Parties

    Kenneth T. Andrews , Hahrie Han , Alexander Hertel-Fernandez , Lara Putnam , Daniel Schlozman , Theda Skocpol Vanessa Williamson ,
  • Caroline Tervo
    • Michael Zoorob
Memo,

How Conservative Political Organizations Engage and Try to Recruit Left-Leaning Constituencies

  • Angie Bautista-Chavez
Key Findings Brief,

The Libre Initiative - an Innovative Conservative Effort to Recruit Latino Support

  • Angie Bautista-Chavez
Basic Facts Brief,

In the News

Sarah E. James quoted on how challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic are prompting a reevaluation of the goals of educational institutions by Elena Perry, "After Levies Pass, but Bonds Fail, Districts Like Spokane Consider Next Steps" The Spokesman-Review, February 15, 2024.
Guest to discuss the consequences of Kevin McCarthy being ousted as Speaker of the House on NonStop Local KHQ, Sarah E. James (with Morgan Ashley), October 3, 2023.

Publications

"Institutional Capacities, Partisan Divisions, and Federal Tensions in U.S. Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic" (with Caroline Tervo and Theda Skocpol). RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 8, no. 8 (2022): 154-180.

Documents COVID-era policy decisions at the state level. Demonstrates that the extent to which state officials supported Trump's approach to the pandemic is correlated with the timing and type of COVID policies implemented.

"Mea Culpa? The Role of Data Collection in Public Officials Acknowledging Policy Failure" State Politics & Policy Quarterly 22, no. 1 (2022): 96-119.

Explores how state elected officials learn about policy failure. Shows that a state's historical investments in processes for collecting and analyzing data impact the likelihood of elected officials recognizing failure.

"Beyond Likely Voters: An Event Analysis of Conservative Political Outreach" (with Angie M. Bautista-Chavez). Political Science Quarterly 134, no. 3 (2019): 407–443.

Uses descriptions from events organized by mega-donor backed organizations to show how conservatives tailor political outreach. Shows that organizers vary their style according to the demographic of the potential new supporters they target.