Rate My Professor Jennifer Clark

Jennifer Hayes Clark is the Pauline Yelderman Endowed Chair and an associate professor of political science in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University and her bachelor's degree in political science and mathematics from the University of Mississippi. Her research specializes in American legislative institutions, state politics, and public policy. Clark examines how institutions and the political environment shape policymaking and representation. She is currently working on a book project that explores how gender shapes the communication strategies of members of Congress on social media. Additional research interests include American state politics, legislatures, representation, and public policy. Her scholarship addresses topics such as minority party influence, electoral rules' effects on legislative behavior, gender and ideology in state legislatures, and congressional framing on social media during political scandals.

Key publications include her book Minority Parties in U.S. Legislatures: Conditions of Influence (University of Michigan Press, 2015) and contributions to the textbook Governing Texas, 6th edition (W.W. Norton & Company, forthcoming January 2023). Peer-reviewed articles feature “Electoral Rules and Legislative Particularism: Evidence from U.S. State Legislatures” with Tanya G. Bagashka in The American Political Science Review (2016), “Ideology and Polarization among Women State Legislators” with Tracy Osborn, Rebecca Kreitzer, Emily Schilling in Legislative Studies Quarterly (2019), “The ‘PERFECT’ Call: Congressional Representation by Tweet in the Midst of the Ukraine Whistleblower Scandal” with Seth McKee, Heather K. Evans in American Politics Research (2022), and “They were laughing”: Congressional Framing of the Blasey Ford Sexual Assault Allegations on Twitter with Jamie M. Wright, Heather K. Evans in Political Research Quarterly (2022). In 2014, Clark received the Ross M. Lence Award in the Social Sciences for Teaching Excellence from the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She serves on the editorial board of the American Political Science Association’s Legislative Studies Section (Section 3) and has co-led webinars analyzing Texas legislative sessions.