Amber Wichowsky, Ph.D.

Amber Wichowsky, Ph.D.Marquette University

Wehr Physics Hall, 452

MilwaukeeWI53201United States of America(414) 288-3422amber.wichowsky@marquette.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Department Chair

Political Science

Professor and Director, Marquette Civic Dialogues Program

Amber Wichowsky is Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Marquette Civic Dialogues Program. Her research explores the intersections between politics and inequality, including class biases in turnout, money in electoral campaigns, and how public policy affects societal inequalities. She is also an occasional source for media coverage of electoral politics, including CNN, NPR, Fox News and several local news outlets. Her book, The Economic Other: Inequality in the American Political Imagination (joint with Meghan Condon, Loyola University Chicago) examines how Americans use social comparisons to make sense of income inequality and how such frames of reference affect attitudes about redistribution and feelings of political power (University of Chicago Press 2020).  Amber's other publications include articles on voter turnout, welfare policy, campaign finance reform, legislative representation, presidential primaries, and an award-winning article on the civic implications of public policy evaluation. Amber and her Marquette colleagues from education, biology, law, and computer and data sciences have just begun a new project that examines how communities have mobilized in response to concerns about surface and groundwater contamination in Wisconsin. This project was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the American Political Science Association’s Research Partnerships on Critical Issues (RCPI) program. Amber received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University’s Center for the Study of American Politics. She previously worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Washington, DC.

Education

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010

Courses Taught

• POSC 2201 American Politics | Syllabus
• POSC 4291 Urban Politics | Syllabus
• POSC 4931 Field Research in Political Science | Syllabus
• POSC 6954 Research Seminar in American Politics | Syllabus

Publications

• Condon, Meghan, and Amber Wichowsky, 2020. The Economic Other: Inequality in the American Political Imagination. University of Chicago Press.

• Condon, Meghan, and Amber Wichowsky, 2020. “Inequality in the Social Mind: Social Comparison and Support for Redistribution” Journal of Politics 82 (1): 149-161.

• Wichowsky, Amber. 2019 “Civic Life in the Divided Metropolis: Social Capital, Collective Action and Residential Income Segregation” Urban Affairs Review 55 (1): 257-287.

• Shah, Paru, and Amber Wichowsky. 2019. “Foreclosure’s Fallout: Economic Adversity and Voter Turnout.” Political Behavior 41(4): 1099–1115.

• Weiss, Jessica Chen, and Amber Wichowsky. 2018. “External Influence on Exchange Rates: US Pressure and the Chinese RMB.” Review of International Political Economy 25(5): 596-623.

• Condon, Meghan, and Amber Wichowsky. 2018. “Developing Citizen Scientists: Effects of an Inquiry-based Science Curriculum on STEM and Civic Engagement” Elementary School Journal 119(2): 196-222.

• Condon, Meghan R., Alexandra Filindra, and Amber Wichowsky. "Immigrant Inclusion in the Safety Net: A Framework for Analysis and Effects on Educational Attainment." Policy Studies Journal, Forthcoming.
• Dowling, Conor, and Amber Wichowsky. 2015. "Attacks without Consequence: Anonymity, Disclosure and the Effectiveness of Negative Advertising," American Journal of Political Science. 59(1): 19-36.
• Burden, Barry C. and Amber Wichowsky. 2014. "Economic Discontent as Mobilizer: Unemployment and Voter Turnout." Journal of Politics 76(4): 887-898.
• Wichowsky, Amber. 2012. "District Complexity and the Personal Vote." Legislative Studies Quarterly 37(4): 437-464.
• Wichowsky, Amber. 2012. "Competition, Party Dollars and Income Bias in Voter Turnout, 1980-2008." Journal of Politics 74(2): 446-459.
• Wichowsky, Amber. 2012. "District Complexity and the Personal Vote." Legislative Studies Quarterly 37(4): 437-464.
• Wichowsky, Amber. 2012. "Competition, Party Dollars and Income Bias in Voter Turnout, 1980-2008." Journal of Politics 74(2): 446-459.

Additional Information

Marquette Democracy Lab

The link to Marquette Democracy Lab's website is here.