Joshua Koss
About Me
My name is Joshua Koss. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University with a specialization in American politics. My primary research focus is on American institutions, particularly Congress, the presidency, and the evolving relations between the two branches.
My dissertation addresses multiple contributing factors to the ongoing developments of presidential-congressional relations utilizing original datasets. The first part of this project investigates sources of changing congressional composition, particularly understanding why members willfully retire. Current findings in this study show a connection between legislator productivity and their likelihood of willingly leaving office which has important implications for the types of members we would expect to see remaining in Congress and their commitment to the pursuit of policy. The later portion of my dissertation examines the more expressive relationship between the two branches during the Trump-era, analyzing the former president’s use of social media to communicate with members of Congress, the objective of these communications, and the consequences for the members on the receiving end.
I have received an MA in political science from MSU (2020) and obtained my BA in political Science from Oakland University (2017) where I worked as an undergraduate archival assistant for the Mike Rogers Congressional Collection. For more information about me, feel free to visit my website at the link provided!
Research & Teaching Interests
American Politics, American Institutions, Congress, Presidency, Interbranch Relations, Elections, Political Parties & Interest Groups, Bureaucracy, Judicial Politics, American Political Development, Intro to American Politics, Research Design, Quantitative Methods, Game Theory.
Contact
Office #236 South Kedzie Hall, 368 Farm Lane
East Lansing, MI, 48823, US
Personal Website:
E-mail Address:
kossjosh@msu.edu
