Robert Lowry is Professor in the Political Science Program of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas. He is also Associate Program Head and Director of Graduate Studies for the Political Science Program. He teaches courses on American public policy, political parties and interest groups, politics and business, public choice, state and local government, and empirical democratic theory. His primary areas of research interest are fiscal policy and institutions, political and civic organizations, and the political economy of higher education.