Kinder Institute Assistant Professor of Constitutional Democracy, University of Missouri-Columbia
Jennifer L. Selin is a Kinder Institute Assistant Professor of Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri. Her research explores how the federal bureaucracy functions in the American separation of powers system. When unelected administrators implement policies under delegated authority, there is a legal assumption that these administrators are responsive to direction from elected officials like the President or members of Congress. But how effective are elected principals in controlling the bureaucracy? By approaching the problem of political control from the perspective of federal administrators, Selin's research illustrates that the legal structure of an executive agency's decision-making environment has important implications for political influence.
Jennifer Selin's scholarship has been published in political science, public administration, and law journals and has been utilized by the Obama and Trump Administrations, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the media. A proud graduate of Lebanon Valley College, Selin holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining academia, she practiced administrative law and specialized in federal electricity market regulation and alternative energy development, licensing, and regulation.
In gun debate, both sides have evidence to back them up
Apr 04, 2021 09:51 am UTC| Politics
Gun control is back in the U.S. political debate, in the wake of mass shootings in California, Boulder and Atlanta. Democrats see stricter gun control as a step toward addressing the problem. In March 2021, as the House...
Can the president really order the military to occupy US cities and states?
Jun 04, 2020 12:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
After a week of both peaceful protests and violent chaos in the wake of George Floyds death, President Donald Trump announced, If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and...
Trump versus the states: What federalism means for the coronavirus response
Apr 18, 2020 06:30 am UTC| Politics
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The impeachment resolution: Politics, the Constitution and everything in between
Oct 31, 2019 06:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
For something with such important consequences, the Constitution is surprisingly vague when it comes to impeachment. Most of the language in the Constitution lays out what happens once Congress decides to impeach. But...
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