Profile
Richard K. Scotch is Professor of Sociology and Political Economy at the University of Texas at Dallas.
He is the author of two books and more than fifty articles and monographs on social policy reform and social movements in disability, health care, education, and human services. Drawing on institutional theory in sociology, his research examines the intersection of social change, culture, and politics in social policy.
A particular focus has been how policy innovations in health and disability policy are formulated, implemented, and institutionalized at both the national and local levels.
His current research interests include state Medicaid policies, the movement toward rationalization of local health and human service delivery systems, and the role of the community and social capital in access and appropriate utilization of health care.
Past Work Experiences
Prior to joining the UTD faculty, Dr. Scotch served as a AAAS Congressional Science Fellow in the Office of Representative Paul Simon (D-Ill) and in analyst positions in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Virginia Division for Children.
In 2005, Dr. Scotch was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Division of Health Care Education and Research, Department of Health Care Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Health Science Center at Dallas.
Awards
In 1999, Dr. Scotch was named a Mary Switzer Fellow by the National Rehabilitation Association.
Professional Organizations
Dr. Scotch is past president of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS) and is a member of the American Sociological Association (ASA), the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), and the American Public Health Association (APHA).
Courses
In recent years, Dr. Scotch has offered classes on Domestic Social Policy, Social Theory, and Health and Illness, as well as a variety of research workshops on topics in social policy.
Media Expertise
Dr. Scotch is a nationally recognized expert on disability policy, disability politics, and the disability rights movement.
Research
Dr. Scotch’s recent research includes such topics as the development of the HIV/AIDS service system in Dallas, the role of federal policy in promoting appropriate health services to blind people, and the role of social networks in health behavior and access to primary health care services.
He is currently the principal investigator on contracts to study indigent health care policies in Collin County and how indigency is defined by Texas counties for individuals accused of criminal offenses.
- Updated: July 26, 2006
