Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy

Director, Kate M. Gregg Professor of Social Sciences: Steve S. Smith Associate Director: Paul Rothstein

Home Page: http://wc.wustl.edu/ Location: 300 Elliot Hall Telephone: (314) 935-5630

The Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis supports scholarly research, public affairs programs, and other activities in the fields of economics, government, and public policy. The Center works closely with the Department of Economics, the Department of Political Science, and other academic units of the University. The Center was created in 1975 as the Center for the Study of American Business under the direction of Murray Weidenbaum. The Center was named in honor of Professor Weidenbaum in 2001. The Center serves as a bridge between scholarship and policy makers. The Center supports research conducted by University faculty, sponsors scholarly workshops, and maintains a website to support these activities. Public affairs programs are sponsored by the Weidenbaum Center Forum. Forum programs are recorded and made available online. The Center's director is Professor Steven S. Smith.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Switch hitter Despite move to Democrats, Specter likely to vote outside the fold April 28, 2009 -- Smith Download Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter's decision to switch his allegiance to the Democratic Party will likely raise further questions about the Republican Party's ability to appeal to moderate voters, but Democrats should realize that Specter will remain fairly independent in his voting on key issues, including ongoing opposition to pro-union "card check" provisions, suggests Steven S. Smith, a congressional expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

College cash WUSTL hosts forum on financing university education in tough economic climate, April 14 April 7, 2009 -- "Financing University Education" is the focus of a free public conference to be held 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 14 in the Bryan Cave Moot Court Room. Anheuser-Busch Hall, Danforth Campus, Washington University in St. Louis.

The Competition of Ideas Washington think tanks too predictable, suggests new book by Murray Weidenbaum Nov. 26, 2008 -- As President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill key cabinet positions from the ranks of D.C.-based public policy think tanks, a new book by longtime policy adviser Murray Weidenbaum examines how the nation's top think tanks came to play such critical roles in U.S. politics.

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Faculty Experts:

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Murray Weidenbaum Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor Weidenbaum Download Weidenbaum is honorary chairman of the Weidenbaum Center and Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor at Washington University. He is known for his research on economic policy, taxes, government spending, and regulation. In 1981-82, he served as President Reagan's first Chairman of the Council ... Expertise: economy, government, public policy, President Reagan, Federal Trade Deficit Review Commission, economic policy, taxes, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5662 / moseley@wustl.edu

Steven Smith Kate M. Gregg Professor of Social Sciences, Director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy Steven Smith Download Steven S. Smith is director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy at Washington University. He has worked on Capitol Hill in several capacities and has served as a senior fellow at the Brooking Institution. Smith has also authored or co-authored six books on congressional ... Expertise: Congress, American politics, legislative institutions Direct contact: (314) 935-5697 / smith@wustl.edu

James Gibson Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government in Arts & Sciences James Gibson Download Gibson has research interests comparative politics (especially processes of democratization), American politics (including political parties, public opinion, and especially courts and legal processes), and all areas of quantitative research methods (especially survey research). He currently is working ... Expertise: judicial politics, democratization, political psychology, political tolerance, survey research, quantitative research methods, Russian politics, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5897 / jgibson@artsci.wustl.edu

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Related News Clips:

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States rebel against Washington The Christian Science Monitor March 27, 2009 -- Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

The blame for bloated economy The Boston Globe Nov. 20, 2008 -- Is the Bush administration's reckless deregulation to blame for the current financial crisis? According to researchers at WUSTL and George Mason University, appropriations for federal regulatory functions have increased during the Bush years.

Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent The Wall Street Journal online Nov. 17, 2008 -- The Center for a New American Security, a small think tank here with generally middle-of-the-road policy views, is rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum, who wrote a book on Washington think tanks.

Too Few Regulations? No, Just Ineffective Ones The New York Times and 1 others Sept. 15, 2008 -- Commentary on governmental regulation during the Bush administration, including a mention of study on regulatory spending co-authored by Melinda Warren, director of the WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center Forum.

George W. Bush: The bygone American The Globe and Mail (Canada) March 31, 2008 -- All presidents in the final year of a final term are lame ducks, but the media now is mostly ignoring Bush and focusing more on the battling candidates. WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum comments.

Research supported by the Center includes:

• Judicial Strategy and Preferences -- Professors Lee Epstein and Andrew Martin
• The Legitimacy of American Political Institutions -- Professors James Gibson and Lester Spence
• New Democracies, Institutions, and Party Systems -- Professors Mikhail Filippov and Olga Shvetsova
• The Reproductive Rights of Women in U.S. Jails and Prisons -- Professor Rachel Roth
• The Politics of Multi-Party Systems -- Professors Itai Sened and Norman Schofield
• Women in Parliaments and the Rise of Gender Quota Laws -- Professor Lisa Baldez
• Globalization and International Financial Markets -- Professor Andrew Sobel
• Trust in Principal-Agent Negotiations -- Professors William Bottom and Gary Miller
• Political Parties in Latin America; Comparative Legislative Parties -- Professor John Carey
• Trends in Congressional Policy Making, Professors -- Randall Calvert and Steven Smith
• The Organization of the State in China: Copyright and Patent Enforcement, Professor Andrew Mertha