Thomas Hayes

Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor

Political Science

American Politics, Inequality, Congress and Representation

Ph.D. University of California, Riverside

Dr. Hayes specializes in the fields of American politics and political behavior, with an emphasis on economic inequality. In 2019, Dr. Hayes served as U.S. Studies Chair as part of the Fulbright program in Xalapa, Mexico. Dr. Hayes teaches courses on Congress, American Politics, Congress and the Presidency, and the Politics of Inequality. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside in 2012.

Selected Publications

Books:  

Benjamin Bishin (UCR), Thomas J. Hayes, Matthew Incantalupo (Yeshiva University), and Charles Anthony Smith (UCI).  Forthcoming (September 2021).  Elite-led Mobilization and Gay Rights: Dispelling the Myth of Mass Opinion Backlash.  University of Michigan Press. 

Articles: 

• Thomas J. Hayes, and Christopher Guay (UConn M.A.). “Viewing equality as a loss: How Highlighting Policy Costs and Benefits Influences Attitudes.” The Social Science Journal.  Forthcoming.   
• Benjamin Bishin (UCR), Thomas J. Hayes, Matthew Incantalupo (Yeshiva University), and Charles Anthony Smith (UCI).  2020.  “Elite Mobilization: A Theory Explaining Opposition to Gay Rights.” Law & Society Review. 
• Newman, Benjamin J. (UCR) and Thomas J. Hayes.  2019.  “Durable Democracy? Economic Inequality and Democratic Accountability in the New Gilded Age.” Political Behavior 41: 5-30. 
• Amy Widestrom (Arcadia), Thomas J. Hayes, and Christopher Dennis (CSULB). 2018.  “The Effect of Political Parties on the Distribution of Income in the American States: 1917-2011.” Social Science Quarterly 99: 895-914. 
• Lyle Scruggs (UConn) and Thomas J. Hayes.  2017.  “The Influence of Oligarchy on Welfare Generosity: Evidence from the U.S. States.” Politics & Society 45: 35-66. 
• Thomas J. Hayes.  2017.  “Bankruptcy Reform and Congressional Action: The Role of Organized Interests in Shaping Policy.”   Social Science Research 64: 67-78. 
• Benjamin Bishin (UCR), Thomas J. Hayes, Matthew Incantalupo (Yeshiva University), and Charles Anthony Smith (UCI).  2016.  “Opinion Backlash and Public Attitudes: Are Political Advances in Gay Rights Counterproductive?” American Journal of Political Science 60: 625-648. 
  • Winner of the 2014 APSA Bailey Award for Best Paper in LGBT Politics.   
  • Co-Winner of the 2015 Best Conference Paper Award from the APSA Law and Courts section. 
• Thomas J. Hayes and D. Xavier Medina Vidal (Arkansas).  2015.  “Fiscal Policy and Economic Inequality in the U.S. States: Taxing and Spending from 1976-2006.” Political Research Quarterly 68: 392-427.  
• Thomas J. Hayes and Christopher Dennis (CSULB). 2014. “State Adoption of Tax Policy: New Data and New Insights.”  American Politics Research 42: 929-955. 
• Thomas J. Hayes.  2014.  “Do Citizens Link Attitudes with Preferences?  Economic Inequality and Government Spending in the New Gilded Age.”  Social Science Quarterly 95: 468-495. 
• Thomas J. Hayes. 2013.  “Responsiveness in an Era of Inequality: The Case of the U.S. Senate.”  Political Research Quarterly: 66: 585-599. 
• Thomas J. Hayes and Benjamin G. Bishin (UCR).  2012.  “Issue Salience, Subconstituency Politics, and Legislative Representation.”  Congress & the Presidency 39: 133-159.