• Meet Baylor’s nationally cited expert on politics and public policy

    Dr. Patrick Flavin (headshot)

    In Texas politics, there have been few more influential figures than Baylor’s own Bob Bullock (JD ’58), a longtime elected official and Baylor law graduate. So it stands to reason that the professorship named for him in Baylor’s Department of Political Science would be held by a professor with his own recognized expertise on the influence of politics and public policy on citizens.

    Dr. Patrick Flavin came to Baylor in 2010 and now serves as the Bob Bullock Professor of Political Science at Baylor. Over the last 15 years, a wide array of academic journals and popular media outlets have come to Flavin for insights on his key areas of research: political inequality, politics and quality of life, political behavior, and more.

    Flavin has studied such issues as the impact of social service spending on human well-being and the relationship between happiness and government spending on public goods (like parks, libraries and highways). His insights have been published in numerous prestigious academic journals, and they’ve shaped articles in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and other national newspapers. And in addition to public policy and quality of life questions, Flavin has also established himself as an expert on the consequential role of individual state politics in American life.

    While election years naturally galvanize national attention, Flavin’s work ensures close attention to the impact of those decisions long after the headlines fade, providing future leaders with a better base of understanding.

    Sic ’em, Dr. Flavin!