Author: Paul Rutledge

Dr. Paul Rutledge is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Planning at the University of West Georgia. Rutledge teaches and conducts research on American national government, including the presidency, state and local politics, interest groups, the media and politics, and agenda setting and public policy. His research has appeared in Political Research Quarterly and he also has authored multiple contributions to the Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior. Professor Rutledge has also written commentaries on the 2010 State of the Union Address and the 2010 health care bill, which were picked up by CNN Newswire, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post and the Times-Georgian. His current research continues to focus on the ability of the president to influence public policy through the content of his agenda, the political calculations that impact the size and scope of the president’s agenda, presidential coattails, and comparing agenda-setting processes in presidential systems (primarily in Latin America).