Background
Professor McDonald is interested principally in questions about political representation. He is currently working on two book projects. One investigates the role of political parties in the translation of public concerns into public policies in Western democracies; another reports and evaluates political parties' policy position taking in election manifestoes. Professor McDonald's book co-authored with Ian Budge, Elections, Parties, Democracy: Conferring the Median Mandate is published by Oxford University Press (Nov 2005). He has published articles in several political science journals: American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, European Journal of Political Science, Electoral Studies, Journal of Politics, and Political Methodology. He has also published articles in law reviews and chapters in edited books. He teaches courses on American Government and Politics, Comparative Democracies, Electoral Systems, Voting Rights, and Political Methodology. He previously served on the faculty at the University of New Orleans, and he has been a Resident Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, Essex University, and Vrije University Amsterdam. He has served as a expert witness for civil rights organizations and as an adviser to the NYS Solicitor General, county governments, and state political parties on questions of electoral rules and racial discrimination. He has been a member of the Binghamton University faculty since 1986.
Education
- BA, Wilkes College
- PhD, Florida State University
Research Interests
- Representation
- legislative politics
Awards
- Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
- 2009-2010
