Elaine Kamarck

Lecturer in Public Policy
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Office Address
Littauer-339A
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 36
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-495-9002
Fax: 617-496-8963
Email: elaine_kamarck@Harvard.Edu
Assistant
Karen Armstrong-Menard (617-496-7388)
Elaine Kamarck

Profile

Elaine C. Kamarck is a Lecturer in Public Policy who came to the Kennedy School in 1997 after a career in politics and government. In the 1980s, she was one of the founders of the New Democrat movement that helped elect Bill Clinton president. She served in the White House from 1993 to 1997, where she created and managed the Clinton Administration's National Performance Review, also known as reinventing government. At the Kennedy School she served as Director of Visions of Governance for the Twenty-First Century and as Faculty Advisor to the Innovations in American Government Awards Program. In 2000, she took a leave of absence to work as Senior Policy Advisor to the Gore campaign. She conducts research on 21st century government, the role of the Internet in political campaigns, homeland defense, intelligence reorganization, and governmental reform and innovation. Kamarck received her PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Kamarck is the author of "The End of Government As We Know It: Policy Implementation in the 21st Century" published by Lynne Rienner Publishing, Fall, 2006. She is also the author of "Primary Politics: How Presidential Candidates Have Shaped the Modern Nominating System." Forthcoming Brookings, Spring 2009.

Courses

Not Offered

  • DPI-329 Driving Forces in American Politics

Spr Mod3

  • DPI-134M Innovation and Reform In Twenty-First Century Democracies

Spr Mod4

  • DPI-135M Public Management Innovation and Reform

Spring

  • DPI-122 Politics & American Public Policy

Media Expertise

Elaine Kamarck welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Books
    • Kamarck, Elaine. Primary Politics. Brooking Institution Press, 2009.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Reinventing Reform." Democracy: A Journal of Ideas. Spring 2009.
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Gore’s Carbon ‘Tax Shift’ Beats Cap-and-Trade." Roll Call. August 3, 2009.
  • Op-Eds
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Gore's Carbon Tax Makes Good Sense." Politico, September 23, 2009.
    • Shapiro, Robert J., and Elaine Kamarck. "A Carbon Tax Would Provide a Sunnier Forecast." Politico, December 9, 2009.
  • Research Papers/Reports
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Addressing the Risks of Climate Change: The Politics of the Policy Options." The U.S. Climate Task Force, June 2009.