Christopher Z. Mooney

Christopher Mooney is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. From 1999-2004, he was the Director of the Institute of Legislative Studies at UIS, and he now holds a permanent appointment in the IGPA. In 2000, he founded the scholarly journal, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, serving as its editor until 2007.

Mooney joined the Institute of Government and Public Affairs in 2004.

"The IGPA is one of the foremost institutions in the country in bringing to bear cutting edge academic scholarship and research talent on the practical problems that face state and local governments," said Dr. Mooney.

The main focus of Dr. Mooney’s research involves the study of state politics and policy in the United States. In particular, Mooney’s work deals with state legislatures, lawmaking, and morality policymaking. He is currently working on a long-term project assessing the impacts of state legislative term limits. He also is the co-author of one of the leading undergraduate textbooks in his field, State and Local Politics: Institutions and Reform, published by Wadsworth/Cenage.

"I find that keeping an eye on the practical side of politics, policy, and government helps inform my more theoretical research and my teaching, keeping it fresh and relevant," he said. "This sort of work is valued and encouraged at IGPA, and that’s what makes the institute so attractive to me."

Before joining the faculty at UIS in 1999, Dr. Mooney served as the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at West Virginia University. He has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Essex in the UK. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PAC 480
University of Illinois at Springfield
1 University Plaza
Springfield, IL 62703
Phone: 217-206-6573