John Clayton Thomas, Professor
Professor of Public Management and Policy
Ph.D., Northwestern University
Phone: 404-413-0113
E-mail: jcthomas@gsu.edu
Vita (pdf)
Specialties:
Public Involvement Processes
Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation
Citizen and Stakeholder Surveys
Urban Governance
Leadership and Ethics
Public Policy
With three books and more than fifty articles in print, John Thomas is known internationally for his research on various aspects of public management and public policy. Much of that research focuses on how citizens connect with their governments and how those connections can be improved. His book, Public Participation in Public Decisions: New Skills and Strategies for Public Managers (Jossey-Bass), offered guidance for elected and appointed public officials on when and how to involve the public in decision making. More recently, Dr. Thomas has investigated how citizens interact with governments through the new medium of “e-governance” and how citizen input can be incorporated in performance measurement.
Dr. Thomas has conducted applied research and training on public involvement, citizen surveys, and performance measurement in a variety of settings. He has worked with state and local governments and nonprofit agencies in Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Dr. Thomas’s research has appeared in Public Administration Review, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Administration & Society, Urban Affairs Review, and the Journal of Urban Affairs, among other journals. He also serves as one of three Editors of the American Review of Public Administration, one of the elite journals in public administration.
