Thomas Ferguson (academic)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ferguson is an American political scientist
and author who studies and writes on politics
and economics
, often within a historical
perspective. He is a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston
and a member of the advisory board for George Soros
' Institute for New Economic Thinking
. He obtained his Ph.D. from Princeton University
. A contributing editor for The Nation
and a contributing writer to The Huffington Post
, he is a frequent guest and economic commentator on numerous radio and television programs. He is known for his investment theory of party competition
.
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and author who studies and writes on politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, often within a historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
perspective. He is a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
and a member of the advisory board for George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
' Institute for New Economic Thinking
Institute for New Economic Thinking
The Institute for New Economic Thinking is a New York City-based nonprofit think tank founded in October 2009 with a $50 million pledge by George Soros as a result of the Financial crisis of 2007-2010.It has nobel laureates George Akerlof, Sir James Mirrlees, A...
. He obtained his Ph.D. from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. A contributing editor for The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
and a contributing writer to The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, he is a frequent guest and economic commentator on numerous radio and television programs. He is known for his investment theory of party competition
Investment theory of party competition
The Investment theory of party competition is a political theory developed by University of Massachusetts professor Thomas Ferguson. The theory focuses on how business elites, not voters, play the leading part in political systems...
.
Selected works
Ferguson has written numerous scholarly articles, magazine pieces, and a number of books.Scholarly
- "Betting on Hitler - The Value of Political Connections in Nazi Germany," Quarterly Journal of EconomicsQuarterly Journal of EconomicsThe Quarterly Journal of Economics, or QJE, is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Oxford University Press and edited at Harvard University's Department of Economics. Its current editors are Robert J. Barro, Elhanan Helpman and Lawrence F. Katz...
, Feb. 2008 - "The American Wage Structure, 1920-1947," Journal of Financial and Quantitative AnalysisJournal of Financial and Quantitative AnalysisThe Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis is an academic journal published by the School of Business Administration at the University of Washington in cooperation with the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business and New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. It...
, 2004 - "Mixed-Asset Portfolio Composition with Long-Term Holding Periods and Uncertainty," Levy Economics InstituteLevy Economics InstituteThe Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is located on the campus of Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The Institute is housed in Blithewood, a mansion originally designed by an alumnus of the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White for Andrew Zabriskie in 1899...
Working Paper No. 249, Sep. 1998 - “The Political Economy of Knowledge and the Changing Politics of the Philosophy of Science”. TelosTELOS (journal)Telos is an academic journal published in the United States. It was founded in May 1968 to provide the New Left with a coherent theoretical perspective. It sought to expand the Husserlian diagnosis of "the crisis of European sciences" to prefigure a particular program of social reconstruction...
15 (Spring 1973). New York: Telos Press.
Popular press
- "Financial Regulation? Don't Get Your Hopes Up", Talking Points MemoTalking Points MemoTalking Points Memo is a web-based political journalism organization created and run by Josh Marshall, journalist and historian covering issues from a "politically left perspective,". It debuted on November 12, 2000...
, 2008-04-17 - "Bridge Loan to Nowhere?", The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, 2008-09-24
Books
- 1987. Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Party CompetitionInvestment theory of party competitionThe Investment theory of party competition is a political theory developed by University of Massachusetts professor Thomas Ferguson. The theory focuses on how business elites, not voters, play the leading part in political systems...
and the Logic of Money-Driven Politics - 1986. Right Turn: The Decline of the Democrats and the Future of American Politics with co-author Joel RogersJoel RogersJoel Rogers is an American academic and political activist. Currently a professor of law, political science, public affairs and sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he also directs the Center on Wisconsin Strategy and its projects, including the Center for State Innovation, Mayors...
. - 1984. The Political Economy: Readings in the Politics and Economics of American Public Policy
External links
- UMass Boston polisci profile
- UMass Boston public policy profile
- Thomas Ferguson's articles in The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. - Thomas Ferguson's articles in Mother JonesMother Jones (magazine)Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
. - "Giant holes in new banking rules" Thomas Ferguson interview on The Real News, November 2009 (video and print transcript).
- "Obama should save banks not bankers" Thomas Ferguson interview on The Real News, March 2009 (video and print transcript).
- "Money and Power in the 2000 Elections" Thomas Ferguson interview on Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, November 07, 2000 (audio and print transcript). - INET Advisory Board.