Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2006

Contact: Angie Joe
713.743.8153 (office)
713.617.7138 (pager)
ajoe@uh.edu

NOTE FOR MEDIA: A welcome reception for Granato will be held Oct. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Magnolia Hotel, 1100 Texas St. Reporters interested in attending the event should RSVP to Angie Joe at 713-743-8153 or ajoe@uh.edu.

CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY’S NEW DIRECTOR STRESSES VALUE OF RESEARCH
Jim Granato Brings NSF Experience to University of Houston Institution

HOUSTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – As the new director of the University of Houston’s Center for Public Policy (CPP), Jim Granato plans to emphasize the science in social science.

Drawing on his considerable experience with the National Science Foundation (NSF), Granato will now focus the center’s resources on methodically analyzing a variety of public policy concerns found in the Houston metropolitan region.

“The CPP plans to help improve basic research skills for graduate and undergraduate students as well as provide policymakers with useful information from the center’s research efforts,” he said.

In a research program initiative called Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM), Granato and his NSF colleague Frank Scioli devised research competitions across the social and behavioral sciences to give researchers who combine theoretical models and real-world tests an opportunity to reveal findings that assist policymakers on any number of issues including trade agreements, taxation, or air quality. For the person on the street, the application of such research into actual policy could mean an asthmatic knows when to keep outdoor activities to a minimum or what the real trade-offs are for term limits for elected officials.

Granato intends on continuing that approach at CPP.

Since 1981, CPP has provided the Houston community with impartial research in politics, economics and education. The center is also home to the Survey Research Institute led by professor of political science Richard Murray, and the Institute Regional Forecasting headed by professor of economics Barton Smith. Additionally, CPP hosts Lanier Public Policy conferences and oversees UH’s government internship programs in Washington, D.C., Austin and Houston.

Richard Murray, former CPP director, will continue teaching at UH and heading CPP’s Survey Research Institute, which conducts an ongoing program of political and public opinion polling for the city and the state.

“The University and the Center are very fortunate to have Jim Granato assume this new role,” Murray said. “His combination of a strong academic background in teaching, research and publication, plus extensive experience with the National Science Foundation in Washington, make him an excellent person to take the Center for Public Policy to a new level in this community and state. I look forward to working with Jim on a number of fronts over the coming years to make the CPP a vital community resource.”

In surveying policy issues in the Houston metropolitan area, Granato has considered immigration, air quality, economic development, health care coverage and cost, and education and training programs as possible research topics to explore. He also hopes to collaborate with other researchers at UH and universities in the metropolitan area.

Prior to his appointment as CPP director, Granato was an adjunct associate professor of government at the University of Texas. Before that, he served as the political science program director for the NSF. Granato has also held positions at the University of Oregon and Michigan State University. He sits on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Political Science and Electoral Studies. Additionally, he has published numerous scholarly articles and is the author of the book (which features an EITM-type research design) “The Role of Policymakers in Business Cycle Fluctuations.” Granato holds a Ph.D. from Duke University, a master of arts degree from Texas A&M University and a bachelor of science degree from Southern Illinois University.

His own research interests include political influences on business cycle fluctuations, American political institutions (presidency, bureaucracy, Federal Reserve Board), and political/cultural influences on economic development.

“From the moment I started interviewing at UH, I’ve been impressed both by the university and the city,” he said. “Houston’s ‘can do’ spirit, its intellectual resources and the financial capital are what sold me. Through CPP efforts, I’m hoping to build on this foundation.”

Granato, 46, is married to Mary Bange.

He can be reached at 713-743-3887 or jgranato@uh.edu.

For more information about CPP, go to http://uh.edu/cpp/.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.