Einstein

Katherine Levine Einstein

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boston University

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About Katherine

Einstein studies and teaches courses in urban politics, American public policy, and racial and ethnic politics.

In the News

Katherine Levine Einstein's research on conspiracy theories in politics discussed by Emma Gray Ellis, "Trump-Era Congressional Hearings Have Succumbed to Conspiracy Politics," Wired, March 1, 2019.
Katherine Levine Einstein quoted by Mike Reddy, "Initiative on Cities Survey Finds Nationwide Racial Inequality in Access to City Services" The Daily Free Press, March 13, 2018.
"As the Trump Administration Retreats on Climate Change, US Cities are Moving Forward," Katherine Levine Einstein (with David Glick and Maxwell Palmer), The Conversation, February 20, 2018.
"Getting Federal Stimulus Money Turned Blue U.S. Counties Bluer, and Red Counties Redder. How Can That Be?," Katherine Levine Einstein (with Vanessa Williamson and Kris-Stella Trump), The Washington Post, June 2, 2016.
"U.S. Mayors Desperate to Fix Crumbling Infrastructure but States, Feds Hold Them Back," Katherine Levine Einstein (with David Glick), The Conversation, February 22, 2016.
"America’s Mayors are Taking on the Big Problems, but They Can’t Escape Partisan Divide," Katherine Levine Einstein (with David Glick), The Conversation, May 21, 2015.
Katherine Levine Einstein's research on the influence of cities on public policy discussed by Yiqing Shao, "Boston is One of the Most Influential Cities in the U.S., According to Mayors," Boston Magazine, October 8, 2014.
Katherine Levine Einstein's research on the influence of cities on policy ideas discussed by Hunter Schwartz, "The Most Influential Cities in the Country According to Mayors," The Washington Post, October 7, 2014.
Guest to discuss racial segregation on Wisconsin Public Radio: Racial and Political Polarization, Katherine Levine Einstein, May 22, 2014.
Katherine Levine Einstein's research on political and racial segregation discussed by Craig Gilbert, "Democratic, Republican Voters Worlds Apart in Divided Wisconsin," Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel, May 3, 2013.

Publications

"Do Mayors Run for Higher Office? New Evidence on Progressive Ambition," (with David M. Glick, Maxwell Palmer, and Robert J. Pressel),

Combines longitudinal data on the career paths of the mayors of 200 big cities with new survey and interview data to investigate these questions. Suggests that ideological, institutional, and electoral factors all help to explain why so few mayors exhibit progressive ambition.

 

, American Politics Research, January 25, 2018.
"Does Race Affect Access to Government Services? An Experiment Exploring Street-Level Bureaucrats and Access to Public Housing," (with David Glick), Boston University, 2015.
Uses an audit-style field experiment to explore whether public housing authorities discriminate against black and/or Hispanic housing applicants. Finds no evidence of bias in responsiveness, but we do find anti-Hispanic discrimination in the friendliness of the responses.
"Mayoral Policy-Making: Results from the 21st Century Mayors Leadership Survey," (with David Glick), Boston University Initiative on Cities, 2014.
Describes results from a novel, nationally representative survey of mayors. Argues that mayors are tackling national issues and that their attitudes towards many policies fall along partisan lines.
"Pushing the City Limits: Policy Responsiveness in Municipal Government" (with Vladimir Kogan). Urban Affairs Review (2015).
Reveals a powerful link between a city’s partisan leanings and its local fiscal policy outcomes, with Democratic cities more likely to increase spending across an array of service areas.
"Model Neighborhoods Through Mayors’ Eyes 50 Years after the Civil Rights Act" (with David Glick). Boston University Law Review 95 (2015): 873-889.
Uses a novel survey of mayors to explore the types of neighborhoods that city leaders prefer. Argues that mayors’ “model” neighborhoods are, on average, slightly whiter and have higher property values than the cities in which they are located.
"Do Facts Matter? Information and Misinformation in Democratic Politics" (with Jennifer Hochschild) (University of Oklahoma Press, 2015).

Looks at the role that political elites play in informing, misinforming, and encouraging or discouraging the use of accurate or mistaken information or beliefs. Argues that if a well-informed electorate remains a crucial component of a successful democracy, the deliberate concealment of political facts poses its greatest threat.

"Do I Think BLS Data are BS? The Consequences of Conspiracy Theories" (with David Glick). Political Behavior (2014).
Explores the consequences of the dissemination of conspiracy theories with evidence from a set of survey experiments. Argues that mere exposure to a conspiracy - even when accompanied with a rebuttal - reduces respondent trust in government.
"Misinformation in Democratic Politics" (with Jennifer Hochschild). British Journal of Political Science (2014).
Cites global warming to argue that the use of misinformation poses a danger to the quality of democratic governance.