Max J. Skidmore is University of Missouri Curators’ Professor of Political Science and Thomas Jefferson Fellow. He teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Skidmore has been Distinguished Fulbright Lecturer to India, Senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Hong Kong, and when he was an arts and sciences dean was awarded a short-term Fulbright to Germany for administrators. He is a prolific author; several of his books have been translated into foreign-languages, appearing in Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, French, Hungarian, Russian, and Spanish editions⎯some under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State. Although well-known as a scholar of politics and language, American political thought, political ideologies, and general American government Skidmore also has published widely in American studies and popular culture, especially regarding transportation and America’s forgotten early highways. In recent years, however, in addition to the U.S. presidency, much of his work has dealt with the politics of Social Security, Medicare, and health care in the U.S. These latter interests led him to accept the position of editor-in-chief of Poverty and Public Policy: A Global Journal of Social Security, Income, Aid, and Welfare. Skidmore holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota.
Articles
Letter: Should Liberals (or Anyone Else) Really Support Social Security "Personal Accounts"?, The Economists' Voice (2009)
Although Konstantin Magin is confident that liberals should support Social Security privatization "enthusiastically," his argument...
Poverty in the Twenty-First Century: Explaining the Need for the New Journal and Describing Its Goals, Poverty & Public Policy (2009)
Max J. Skidmore, Editor-in-Chief of Poverty & Public Policy, explains the need for this new...
"Real Reforms to Enhance, Not Curtail, Social Security" (with George S. McGovern), Montana Professor18 (2007)
"The American System of Social Security: Separating Fact from Fallacy", Montana Professor (2007)
Books
Securing America's Future: A Bold Plan to Preserve and Expand Social Security (2008)
Analysis of the American system of Social Security, with proposals for expansion and for universal...
Moose Crossing: Portland to Portland on the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway (2007)
A history of the northernmost transcontinental road in the US in the1920s and 1930s, including...
Politics and Language (with Andrew Cline) (2007)
A collection of essays dealing from various points of view with the political effects of...
After the White House: Former Presidents as Private Citizens (2004)
A comprehensive examination of the post presidential careers of America's chief executives.
Presidential Performance: A Comprehensive Review (2004)
An evaluation of each president and his administration, and a criticism of presidential rankings.