Biography

Jack Mewhirter is an Associate Professor at the Howard H. Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. His research focuses on public policy, collaborative governance, and the dynamics of complex policy systems, with particular emphasis on how institutions, networks, and representation shape policy outcomes and public perceptions. 

Mewhirter’s work has been published in leading journals including Policy Studies Journal, Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Furthermore, his research spans topics such as police militarization, collaborative policymaking, polycentric governance, and public responses to policy tradeoffs, including during crises like COVID-19. Mewhirter’s scholarship has also been supported by external funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency. 

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Education

Ph.D., Political Science, Florida State University

M.S., Political Science, Florida State University

B.A., Political Science, New College of Florida

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Research

How Gender Affects Officer Support for Police Militarization

Mind the (Collaborative) Gap: How the Public Symbolically Rewards and Punishes Policy Actors for Their Collaborative Choices

Bridging the Gap: Advancing Policy Process Theory through the Study of Policing Subsystems

Manifesting Symbolic Representation through Collaborative Policymaking