Political Science

Daniel Carrigg

Lecturer, Political Science, University of Rhode Island
Dissertation The War on Poverty Paradox: Policy Feedback, Federalism, and State-Citizen Relations
Committee James Morone (Chair), Wendy Schiller, Alexander Gourevitch

Biography

Job Market Title

The Politics of Community Health Centers: Policy Feedback wit Elite and Geographic Effects

Abstract

Community health centers are a relatively small and understudied part of overall federal health spending in the United States. Nevertheless, they provide primary care for over 27 million Americans. This paper examines on the politics community health centers make through the lens of policy feedback theory. Specific focus is placed on geography and elite-level feedback effects, along with their interactions. Evidence suggests that over time, health centers have been resistant to multiple rollback attempts. Nevertheless, support for health centers has been inconsistent both in terms of partisanship and ideology, largely because as a policy they are capable of reacting to multiple political objectives. I conclude that the geographic distribution of funds could have significant effect on partisanship and ideology in elite-level policy feedback effects.