Jack Citrin
Professor Citrin teaches in the field of political behavior and his research interests include political trust, the foundations of policy preferences, direct democracy, national identity, and ethnic politics, including immigration and language politics. His work primarily concerns American politics but also Western Europe and Canada. Professor Citrin received his B.A. and M.A. from McGill University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He has taught here since 1970.
Among his books and edited volumes are American Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism (2014), Public Opinion and Constitutional Controversy (2009), Tax Revolt, Something for Nothing in California (1982,1985), After the Tax Revolt: Proposition 13 Turns 30 (2009), and Nominating the President: Evolution and Revolution in 2008 and Beyond (2009). He is the author of numerous articles in leading journals as well as many book chapters, with some recent examples listed below.
Professor Citrin formerly was Director of the State Data Archive and Acting Director of the Survey Research Center at Berkeley. Since 2007 he has served as the Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies.
American Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism (2014)
Co-authored with David Sears. This book uses public opinion data to illuminate Americans’ conceptions of national identity in the aftermath of the civil rights movement and massive change in the ethnic composition of the county due to immigration reform. It considers the degree of public support for different formulas for coping with diversity, most notably the ideology of multiculturalism. It reviews patterns of ethnic consensus and conflict with particular attention to the exceptionism of African-Americans and the evidence of assimilation of Lation and Asian immigrants to America.
Public Opinion and Constitutional Controversy (2009)
Co-edited with Nathaniel Persily and Patrick Egan. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of American public opinion on the key constitutional controversies of the twentieth centuries. It examines the reciprocal influences of public opinion and Supreme Court decisions over time. The chapters challenge the belief that Supreme Court decisions invariable and powerfully influence public opinion.
Nominating the President: Evolution and Revolution in 2008 and Beyond (2009)
Co-edited with David Karol. The 2008 presidential nominations were unprecedented in many ways, with ongoing democratization of the selection process and a surprising loss of control by party elites. This book assesses the impact of changes in the nomination process with original research about money, scheduling, superdelegates, and the role of race and gender in voting.
Tax Revolt: Something for Nothing in California (1982, 1985)
Co-Authored with David Sears. This book is an in-depth study of a notable taxpayers' rebellion: Howard Jarvis and Proposition 13, the Gann measure of 1979, and Proposition 9 (Jarvis 11) of 1980. The authors consider a variety of partial explanations: the self-interest of certain groups, the apathy of others, the role of party affiliation, the specter of symbolic racism, the meaning of mass mood surges. They also include a new preface and a new chapter reviewing the consequences of the revolt and the responses to the fiscal stress.
J. Citrin, A. Lerman, M. Murakami, and K. Pearson, “Testing Huntington: Is Hispanic Immigration a Threat to American National Identity,” Perspectives in Politics, Vol. 5, No.3, March 2007.
B. Newman, C. Johnson, A. Strickland, and J. Citrin, “Immigration Crackdown in the American Workplace: Explaining Variation in E-Verity Policy Adoption Across the American States,” State Politics & Policy Quarterly, Vol. 12, 2012.
M. Wright, J. Citrin, and J. Wand, “Alternative Measures of American National Identity: Implications for the Civic-Ethnic Distinction,” Political Psychology, Vol. 33, 2012.
J. Citrin, R. Johnston, and M. Wright, “Do Patriotism and Multiculturalism Collide: Competing Perspectives from Canada and the US,” Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 45, 2012.
J. Citrin, M. Levy, and M. Wright, “Multicultural Policy in European Democracies: What Impact on Political Support?” forthcoming in Comparative Political Studies, 2015.
J. Citrin, M. Levy, and R. Van Houweling, “Americans Fill out President Obama’s Census Form: what is his Race?,” forthcoming in Social Science Quarterly, 2015.
J. Citrin, D.P. Green, and M. Levy, “The Effects of Voter ID Notification on Voter Turnout: Results from a Large-Scale Field Experiment,” Election Law Journal, vol. 13, no.2, June 2014, pp. 228-242.
BOOK CHAPTERS:
J. Citrin, “Proposition 13 and the Transformation of California Government,” in J. Citrin and I. Martin, eds., After the Tax Revolt: Proposition 13 Turns 30, Berkeley Public Policy Press, Institute of Governmental Studies, Berkeley, CA, 2009.
J. Citrin and D.O. Sears, “Balancing National and Ethnic Identities: The Psychology of e pluribus unum,” in R. Abdelal et al., Measuring Identity: A Guide for Social Scientists, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
J. Sides, E. Schickler, and J. Citrin, “Who Governs if Everyone Votes,” in P.M. Sniderman and B. Highton eds., Facing the Challenge of Democracy, Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 2011.
J. Citrin and M. Wright, “E pluribus Europa?,” in A. Messina and A. Gould, Emerging Europeans and the Challenges of Ethnoregionalism, Religion, and the New Nationalism, London, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
J. Citrin, “Are We All Now Multiculturalists, Assimilationists, Neither or Both?,” in C. Dustmann ed., Migration, Economic Change, Social Challenge, London, Oxford University Press, 2014.
J. Citrin and M. Wright, “The Politics of Immigration in a Nation of Immigrants,” in R. Laraja ed., New Directions in American Politics, New York, Routledge, forthcoming, 2013.
Professor Citrin teaches Introduction to American Politics (PS 1), Public Opinion, Voting and Elections (PS 161) and Political Psychology (PS 164) at the undergraduate level and Political Psychology (PS 261) and Mass Politics in Advanced Industrial Societies (PS 269) at the graduate level.