Research
My main field of specialization for the PhD is American politics with a secondary concentration in quantitative methodology. I am broadly interested in American political institutions – especially interest groups and legislative bodies. My current research agenda is pointed toward better understanding the temporal and spatial context surrounding issue areas and the effect on group formation and influence. Broadly speaking, in my dissertation I develop a “life cycle theory” of issue spaces then empirically demonstrate the theory through a set of case studies. The general motivation for my research – democratic representation – also threads through a number of other research projects at various stages. This includes co-authored, published work on the law and papers on religious institutions’ interactions with political representation. If you would like to know more about my current research, please feel free to contact me. My publications are:
- Hightower, Tristan M., Forthcoming. "The Population Ecology of Interest Groups and Counter-Mobilization: Reproductive Rights Organizations in the United States, 1920-1985." Political Science Research and Methods.
- Gimpel, James G., Tristan M. Hightower, and Patrick C. Wohlfarth. 2021. The Geography of Law: Understanding the Origin of State and Federal Redistricting Cases. Political Research Quartlerly 74(4): 779-794.
- Hightower, Tristan M. 2021. Packed Pews: Understanding Evangelical Group Formation. Interest Groups & Advocacy 10(2): 221-39.
- Hightower, Tristan M. 2019. Tennessee’s Promise: Education for All? Pursuit – The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee 9(1): Article 4.
My working projects include:
- "Megachuch Influence in State Politics." Under review.
- "Interest Group Involvment in Federal Redistricting Litigation" with Jim Gimpel, Patrick Wohlfarth, and Victoria Worley. Presented at MPSA Annual Conference.
- "Bipartisanship and Legislative Vulnerability" with Kris Miler. Presented at MPSA Annual Conference.
- "Interest Group Death" with Adam Chamberlain and Ali Yanus. Preliminary work.
I have also worked as a research assistant for the following faculty:
- Dr. Frances Lee, Professor, Princeton University
- Dr. Kris Miler, Assoc. Professor, University of Maryland, College Park
- Dr. James G. Gimpel, Professor, University of Maryland, College Park
- Dr. Hemant Sharma, Lecturer, University of Tennessee (undergraduate research assistant)