Ph.D., Florida State University, 1982
M.P.A., Florida Atlantic University, 1979
Professor of Government
Research Interests
Dr. Taggart’s primary research interests are state and local government, domestic public policy, and Indian gaming, where he has conducted a broad range of investigations reflecting the application of both qualitative and quantitative methods. He has written extensively on criminal justice policies, including concerns related to corrections, the administration of justice, and law and society, while pursuing other research initiatives dealing with such diverse policy topics as transportation, education, budgeting and environmental protection.
Publications and Awards
Dr. Taggart has published over seventy papers in a broad range of academic journals and books in political science, public policy, public administration, and criminal justice, including The Journal of Politics, Justice Quarterly, Public Administration Review, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Social Science Quarterly, Law and Society Review, American Review of Public Administration, and Policy Studies Review. He also currently serves on the editorial board of the Indigenous Policy Journal. Recognized for his commitment to teaching, Dr. Taggart received the El Paso Natural Gas Foundation Faculty Achievement Award in 1995 in recognition of outstanding university teaching and he was the first recipient of the Mariposa Award presented by the Department of Government’s graduate students in 2003 to a faculty member who inspires excellence.
Courses Taught
Dr. Taggart is a member of the Department of Government’s MPA core faculty, with general teaching and research responsibilities spanning the fields of public policy, public administration and American politics. He has taught American National Government, Domestic Policy, Elections and Public Opinion, Urban Politics and State and Local Government at the undergraduate level; and Public Budgeting, Public Policy Analysis, Research Methods in Government, and Seminar in Public Policy at the graduate level.
Contact Information
Email: witaggar@nmsu.edu
