Master of Public Policy

Current Research

Teaching

• PS 455/555 - Politics of Climate Change
• PS 476/576 - Science and Politics 
• PS 477/577 - International Environmental Politics and Policy
• PPOL 421 - Research Methods
• PPOL 422 - Policy Analysis
• PPOL 511 - Public Organizations and Leadership
• PPOL 512 - Public Policy Theory 
• PPOL 523 - Qualitative Research Methods
• PPOL 552 - International Comparative Rural Policy
• PPOL 613 - Advanced Policy Theory I
• PPOL 614 - Advanced Policy Theory II

Research & Professional Interests

• PhD Students & Postdocs [Public Policy & Environmental Science]
• Vote Smart [Vice President; Executive Board Member]
• Journal of Rural and Community Development [Editorial Board]
• Journal of Political Science and International Affairs [Editorial Board]
• Review of Studies of Sustainability [Editorial Board]
• OSU Water Resources Management and Policy [Faculty Affiliate]
• OSU Environmental Science Graduate Program [Faculty Affiliate]
• OSU Master of Natural Resources Program [Faculty Affiliate]
• International Comparative Rural Policy Consortium [Faculty Affiliate]

Brief Vita  

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Political Science, Washington State University
• M.A., Political Science, Washington State University
• B.A., Government, Eastern Washington University

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2015 to present, Affiliate Professor, Master of Natural Resources, Oregon State University.
• 2005 - Visiting Professor, Environmental Resource Management, American University in Bulgaria, Bulgaria.
• 2005 to present - Affiliate Professor, Water Resources Management and Policy Graduate Program.
• 2003 to present - Director, Public Policy Graduate Program, Oregon State University.
• 2003 - Fulbright Scholar, Public Administration, University of Botswana, Botswana.
• 2003 to present - Affiliate Professor, Marine Resource Management Program, Oregon State University.
• 2001 - Professor, Political Science, Oregon State University.
• 1998 to 2001 - Associate Professor, Political Science, Oregon State University.
• 1998-present - Affiliate Professor, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, Oregon State University.
• 1995 to 1998 - Director, Master of Public Affairs Program, Washington State University.
• 1995 to 1998 - Associate Professor, Political Science, Washington State University.
• 1995 - Visiting Professor, Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.
• 1992 to 1995 - Assistant Professor, Political Science, Washington State University.
• 1990 to 1992 - Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science, Oregon State University.
• 1984 to 1990 - Assistant Professor, Political Science, Oakland University.

RECENT GRANTS:

• "Developing Adaptive Capacity in Wildfire-Prone Regions," National Science Foundation, Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (2019-2023). 
• "Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainable Energy Development and Comparative Agricultural Policy," National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), United States Department of Agriculture (2013-2017).
• “Rural Policy Learning Commons,” Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2014-21).
• "Trial by Fire: Community Adaptation and Rebuilding After Catastrophic Wildfire," Joint Fire Science Program, USDA (2013-2017).
• “Coupled Natural and Human Systems in Fire-Prone Landscapes: Interactions, Dynamics and Adaption,” National Science Foundation, Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (2010-2014). 

BOOKS:

• Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel (eds.) Environmental Politics and Policy of Western Public Lands (Oregon State University Press, 2020).
• Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel, When Ideology Trumps Science: Why We Question the Experts on Everything from Climate Change to Vaccinations (Praeger Publishers, 2018).
• Christopher Simon, Brent S. Steel and Nicholas P. Lovrich, State and Local Government: Sustainability in the 21st Century (Oregon State University, 2018, 2nd ed.; Oxford University Press, 2011, 1st ed.).
• Edward Weber, Denise Lach and Brent S. Steel (eds.), New Strategies for Wicked Problems: Science and Solutions for the 21st Century (Oregon State University Press, 2017).
• John C. Pierce and Brent S. Steel, Prospects for Alternative Energy Development in the U.S. West: Tilting at Windmills? (Springer Press, 2017).
• Brent S. Steel (ed.), Science and Politics: An A to Z Guide to Issues and Controversies (Sage/CQ Press, 2014).
• John Dernbach (Brent S. Steel, Contributing Author), Acting as if Tomorrow Matters: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability (Environmental Law Institute Press, 2012).
• Richard Clucas, Mark Henkels, and Brent S. Steel (eds.) Oregon Politics and Government: Progressive versus Conservative Populism (University of Nebraska Press, 2005).
• Brent S. Steel, Richard Clinton and Nicholas Lovrich. Environmental Politics and Policy: A Comparative Perspective (McGraw-Hill, 2003).
• John C. Pierce, Nicholas P. Lovrich, Brent S. Steel, Mary Ann Steger, and John Tennert, Political Culture and Public Policy in Canada and the United States:  Only a Border Apart? (Edwin Mellen Publishers, 2000).
• Dennis L. Soden and Brent S. Steel (eds.), Global Environmental Policy and Administration (New York: Marcel Dekker, 1999).
• Brent S. Steel (ed.), Public Lands Management in the West: Citizens, Interest Groups and Values (Praeger Publishers, 1997).
• John C. Pierce, Mary Ann Steger, Brent S. Steel and Nicholas P. Lovrich, Citizens, Political Communication, and Interest Groups: Environmental Organizations in Canada and the United States (Praeger Publishers, 1992).

RECENT ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS:

• Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, Muhammed Usman, Amin Siddiqi, and Melissa Symmes, "Public Water Policy Knowledge and Preferences in the American West," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(2022).

• Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel, “Environmental Efficacy, Climate Change Beliefs, Ideology, and Public Water Policy Preferences.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18(2021).

• Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, and Rebecca L. Warner, “The Old West, the New West and the Next West?” Chapter 16 in Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel (coed.) Environmental Politics and Policy of Western Public Lands (Oregon State University Press, 2020).

• Christopher Simon, Erika Allen Wolters, and Brent S. Steel, “Western Rebellion: Who Own’s the West?” Chapter 15 in Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel (coed.) Environmental Politics and Policy of Western Public Lands (Oregon State University Press, 2020).

• Alexandra Buylova, Brent S. Steel, and Christopher A. Simon, “Public Perceptions of Energy Scarcity and Support for New Energy Technologies: A Western U.S. Case Study,” Energies 13 (2020)

• Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, and Rebecca L. Warner, “Ideology and Value Determinants of Public Support for Energy Policies in the U.S.: A Focus on Western States,” Energies 13 (2020)

• Anna Karmazina and Brent S. Steel. “Public Familiarity with Geothermal Energy on the North American West Coast." Journal of Energy and Power Technology 20 (2019)

• Suman Pant, Casey Taylor and Brent S. Steel, “Policy Process Theory for Rural Policy,” in M. Vittuari, J. Devlin, M. Pagani, J.L. Stallmann, and T.G. Johnson (eds), Handbook of International Comparative Rural Policy (Routledge Press, 2020).

• Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel, “Why Comparative Rural Policy Studies? Comparative Theory and Methods,” in M. Vittuari, J. Devlin, M. Pagani, J.L. Stallmann, and T.G. Johnson (eds), Handbook of International Comparative Rural Policy (Routledge Press, 2020).

• Brent S. Steel, Erika Allen Wolters and Rebecca L. Warner. 2019. “Public Preferences for Food-Energy-Water Tradeoffs in the Western U.S.,” Sustainability, Vol. 1; (2019).

• Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel and Rebecca L. Warner, “The Food-Water-Energy Nexus and Household Behavior: An Oregon Case Study,” Journal of Rural Community and Development, Vol. 14, no. 3 (2019)

• Leanne Giordono, Hilary Boudet, Anna Karmazina, Casey Taylor and Brent S. Steel, “Opposition Overblown? Community Response to Wind Energy in the Western United States,” Energy Research and Social Science (2018). 

• Alexandra Buylova, Rebecca L. Warner, and Brent S. Steel, “The Oregon Context,” pp. 19-38 in E. Weber, P. Southwell, R. Clucas and M. Henkels (eds.) Oregon State and Local Politics: Innovation and Change (Oregon State University Press, 2018).

• Abdullah Husain, Ethan Seltzer and Brent S. Steel, “Local Government,” pp. 153-172 in E. Weber, P. Southwell, R. Clucas and M. Henkels (eds.) Oregon State and Local Politics: Innovation and Change (Oregon State University Press, 2018).