Faculty
J. Edwin Benton
Professor
Contact
Home Campus: Tampa
Office: SOC 367
Email
Bio
J. Edwin Benton is a Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, having received a B.A. and M.A. in 1971 and 1974, respectively, from the University of South Carolina and his Ph.D. in Government from Florida State University in 1978. Before coming to USF in 1979, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Northern Iowa (1978-79). Professor Benton has written extensively about county government, state-local relations, urban government and politics, intergovernmental fiscal behavior, and city-county consolidation, and political polarization. His articles have appeared in top-ranked academic journals such as Public Administration Review, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Public Opinion Quarterly, Public Budgeting & Finance, Journal of Public Administration Theory and Practice, State and Local Government Review, and American Review of Public Administration, while he has also written book chapters in numerous edited volumes. His books include Intergovernmental Relations and Public Policy(with David R. Morgan and winner of the Aaron Wildavsky Award), Counties as Service Delivery Agents, Government and Politics in Florida (4th ed.), Revenues Sources for Local Governments: Persisting Challenges and Emerging Opportunities (winner of the Best Book Award, given by the American Society for Public Administration’s Section on Budgeting and Finance in 2024), and The Elgar Encyclopedia of Local and Regional Government: A Global Perspective (forthcoming 2025). In addition, he is the author or co-author of over 50 technical/grant reports/white papers for state and local governments, local government associations, and non-profit organizations, and in January 2009, he contributed to an Alliance for Innovation white paper (Navigating the Fiscal Crisis: Tested Strategies for Local Leaders) for the ICMA.
Professionally, Dr. Benton has served on the editorial board of State and Local Government Review, Public Administration Review (the flagship journal of the academic discipline of public administration), American Review of Public Administration, and Florida Political Chronicle, and as an advisory board member of the National Center for the Study of Counties at the University of Georgia ,and as a Senior Fellow at both the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida and the Morrison Center for Public Policy at Arizona State University From 2011-2021, he was the Managing of the academic journal, State and Local Government Review (Sage publication). In 2009 and 2013, respectively. Dr. Benton was given the Manning J. Dauer Award by the Florida Political Science Association (FPSA) for his sustained and impactful research contributions to scholarship on government and politics in Florida politics and the Outstanding Service Award for thirty-two years of service to the Association (1980-2012). Then, in 2017, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) presented him with the Outstanding Service Award for sustained and dedicated service to SIAM for the last 35 years. In addition, he has served on committees or as an officer in many national, regional, and state political science and public administration associations while also reviewing countless journal and book manuscripts for a wide variety of academic journals and presses. Since his arrival at USF, he has been appointed to a number of civic boards in Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa, as well as in Georgetown, South Carolina. Moreover, he has testified before county, city, and state commissions (including committees in the Florida Legislature). In addition, Dr. Benton has been a frequent commentator for local, state, national, and international news media outlets and most recently was quoted in articles appearing in USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, the London Times, and La Monde in Paris.
With respect to teaching, Professor Benton has regularly taught the state and local government and politics course almost every semester (or quarter) and also in summer terms (until recent years) since coming to USF. In addition, he still teaches the Florida government and politics and the political behavior, public opinion, and elections course once a year. On occasion, he also teaches undergraduate courses in American national government, local government, governing urban areas, government and the economy, and introduction to public administration. At the graduate levels he still offers courses in state government and politics, intergovernmental relations, public budgeting, public administration theory and practice, policy analysis and program evaluation, and the environment and public administration.
Research
State and local government and politics, state-local and interlocal relations, county government, city-county consolidation, urban government and politics, local government finances, federal aid and intergovernmental fiscal behavior, education, welfare, and housing policy, and policy analysis and program evaluation