Daniel Bliss

Daniel Bliss was appointed assistant professor of political science at Illinois Tech in 2011. His Ph.D. research examined economic development and community governance in the setting of small Midwestern towns whose financial status and prosperity have been placed under heavy stress due to the trends associated with globalization and international competition. The research focused on the ways in which communities can help themselves at modest cost to local taxpayers, both through improvements to internal governance, policy delivery and inter-local cooperation, and through financial and institutional resources provided by state government in situations where they are available. Before Illinois Tech and the completion of his Ph.D. studies, Bliss did applied research on financial planning and IT implementation for the Government Finance Officers Association, and as editor of the award winning Timberjay newspapers in Minnesota, covered state and local government and economic development and led the newsroom to statewide awards in 2001 and 2002.

Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, Political Science, major field urban politics, subfields comparative politics (2011)
M.A., University of Iowa, Journalism
B.A., Grinnell College, History

Research Interests

Economic development;State, local and urban government;Institutions and governance;Public administration

Awards

American Political Science Association, Best Dissertation in Urban Politics, 2011.

Publications

“Frameworks for Growth: How Local Institutions and State Governance Influence Economic Development Policy”, Illinois Municipal Policy Journal, Volume 1, Issue 1, Winter 2016.

(with Matthew A. Shapiro); “Rewards and Consequences: Redistricting on the Chicago City Council”, Local Government Studies, Volume 42m Issue 1, 2016.

“Building More Effective Delivery of Economic Development Projects,” Government Finance Review, Volume 28, No. 1, February 2012.

Projects

(In progress: book manuscript. “Paths to Growth: Municipal Governance and Economic Development in the Global Era”. Manuscript submitted and reviewed, contract pending.

Editorial Boards

Reviewer, Urban Affairs Review, State and Local Government Review
Member, Awards Committee, Journal of Urban Affairs Best Article Award

Expertise

Transportation and infrastructure, political economy, financial management in local government