Elaine Kamarck

Office Address
Non Resident
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
79 JFK Street
Contact
Email: elaine_kamarck@Harvard.Edu
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." Brookings, Spring 2009.

Courses

Not Offered

  • DPI-329 Contemporary Issues in American Elections
  • DPI-322M Presidential Elections

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:

  • Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
    • Kamarck, Elaine, and Robert Reich. "American Political Futures: In Conversation with Elaine Kamarck and Robert Reich." Public Policy Research 19.3 (August-October 2012): 174-180.
  • Commentary
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Time to Reform Complex Tax Code." Politico, December 9 , 2012.
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Are You Better Off Than You Were 4 Years Ago?" WBUR, September 11, 2012.
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "How the Medicare Debate Will End." Daily Beast, Aug 28, 2012.
    • Kamarck, Elaine. "Why Romney Will Pick Portman." WBUR.org, July 18, 2012.
  • HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
    • Kamarck, Elaine C., Mary Eschelbach Hansen, Julie Boatright Wilson, and Jeff Katz. "Eliminating Barriers to the Adoption of Children from Foster Care." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-040, September 2012.