Welcome to SamuelDecanio.com

 

I am an assistant professor in the political science department at Yale University. I study American political development, representation, regulatory policy, public opinion, and civic engagement.  My research has appeared in journals such as Critical Review, Journal of Politics, Party Politics, and Studies in American Political Development. 

I am currently completing a book manuscript that examines popular control of American state formation.  The book examines how high levels of voter ignorance granted democratic officials autonomy from society.  Focusing on late 19th century conflicts over finance policy and railroad regulation, the manuscript argues voters had little control over regulatory policy despite the extensive levels of popular electoral participation and widespread interest in politics.  The manuscript applies this theoretical argument regarding state autonomy in democratic societies to offer a new historical explanation for why executive bureaucracies began regulating the American economy. 

Some of my other projects examine the regulation of financial markets, populism, railroad regulation, the origins of American civic culture, and how high levels of voter ignorance influence democracy and the market.