Janet Martin: Research Summary
Overview
Janet M. Martin’s research focuses on American politics, including the presidency and Congress. She has published groundbreaking work on the American presidency and women, including her latest book, The Gendered Executive: A Comparative Analysis of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Executives, coedited with MaryAnne Borrelli. Earlier, she collaborated with Professor Borrelli in coediting The Other Elites: Women, Politics, and Power in the Executive Branch.
She is the author of The Presidency and Women: Promise, Performance, and Illusion, which won the 2004 Richard E. Neustadt Award. She also authored Lessons from the Hill: The Legislative Journey of an Education Program, based on her work on the Hill as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow working for Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI). She also worked for Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME), who wrote the foreword for the book.
In addition, she has published articles and reviews in the Journal of Politics, Western Political Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and Congress and the Presidency, and authored the "Instructor’s Manual" for A Delicate Balance: An Essential Introduction to American Government.
Current Work
Her current book-length project investigates human rights and women’s rights in conjunction with presidential administrations and Congress. One of the questions she is exploring is whether equating women’s rights with human rights is an effective strategy in advancing women in appointive and elective office, both in the United States and around the world, and in advancing policy interests of women.
Student Opportunities
She invites student participation in her research, especially those familiar with textual analysis and the text mining software of NVivo. Part of her research involves creating a data base of speeches, congressional testimony, interviews, and other short remarks and briefings by secretaries of state to allow her to pose research questions about the stance of the United States toward human rights, as well as issues such as the environment and climate change.
Students interested in this opportunity may contact Professor Martin, and apply for a summer fellowship through the Student Fellowships and Research office.