Clayton Peoples, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department Of Sociology Ph.D. 2005 Ohio State University M.A. 2001 Ohio State University B.A. 1999 Bowling Green State University

Research interests:

Dr. Clayton D. Peoples is Assistant Professor of Sociology. Clayton was raised in a working-class family in a de-industrializing area of eastern Ohio—his father a union truck driver and factory worker, his mother a union clerical worker—and he is a first-generation degree holder. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University in 2005.

Substantively, Clayton’s interests span stratification/inequality, political sociology/political economy, social movements/conflict, the family, and social psychology. Methodologically, his work relies primarily on quantitative methods, and he is particularly interested in network/relational analysis and comparative/cross-national methods. These diverse substantive and methodological interests are linked by a core interest in sociological theory—particularly theory expounding and theory testing—and are rooted in the conflict paradigm.

Clayton has published a number of scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has won section awards from the American Sociological Association (ASA) for papers he has written on social conflict and social psychology. He is also a recipient of a presidential fellowship and a congressional research award for his work in political sociology. His current research tests theories of power and extends social psychological theory into the areas of stratification and political sociology by examining how campaign contributions and social relations influence policymaking. His other current projects examine how perceptions of justice may influence intergroup conflict via preferential and/or discriminatory policies, and how class-based values influence voting behavior.

Recent publications:

Peoples, Clayton D. Forthcoming, 2010. “Social Networks and Political Analysis.” The Handbook of Politics: State and Society in Global Perspective, edited by Kevin T. Leicht and J. Craig Jenkins. New York: Springer.

Peoples, Clayton D. Forthcoming, 2009. “Reviving Power Structure Research: Past Problems, Their Solutions, and Future Directions.” Political Power and Social Theory.

Peoples, Clayton D. 2009. “Campaign Finance in Canada and the U.S.: Policies, Powers, and Prospects.” Association for Canadian Studies in the U.S. (ACSUS) Occasional Papers on Public Policy 3(1):1-7. (http://www.acsus.org/public/pdfs/OP_v3n1v2.pdf)

Peoples, Clayton D. 2008. “The ‘Logistic Dilemma’ for SMOs—How to Get Positive Media Coverage? A Theoretical Model and Propositions.” Sociological Imagination 44:66-84.

Peoples, Clayton D. and Michael Gortari. 2008. “The Impact of Campaign Contributions on Policymaking in the U.S. and Canada: Theoretical and Public Policy Implications.” Research in Political Sociology 17:43-64.

Peoples, Clayton D. and Tina Hsu Schweizer. 2008. “Restricting Public Life, Creating Deadly Strife: How Political Discrimination Impacts Interethnic Conflict.” Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 28:325-49.

Peoples, Clayton D. 2008. “Inter-Legislator Relations and Policymaking: A Sociological Study of Roll Call Voting in a State Legislature.” Sociological Forum 23:455-80.

Peoples, Clayton D. 2008. “Uncovering Political Influence by Using Network Analyses and Exploring Contribution/Party Interactions: The Case of Ohio Legislative Voting.” Sociological Focus 41:301-18.

Peoples, Clayton D. 2007. “The Impact of Class on Voting Behavior in Polish Presidential Elections: Direct Effects and Indirect Effects via Values?” Pp. 287-300 in Continuity and Change in Social Life: Structural and Psychological Adjustment in Poland, edited by Kazimierz M. Slomczynski and Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt. Warsaw, Poland: IFiS Publishers.

Peoples, Clayton D. 2007. “Identity, Discrimination, and Conflict among Ethnic ‘Minorities at Risk’ in the Modern World.” Pp. 89-104 in The Politics of Ethnicity and National Identity, edited by Santosh C. Saha. New York: Peter Lang.

Contact Info:

Office: 309 Mack Social Sciences (MSS)

E-Mail: peoplesc@unr.edu

Phone: (775) 784-4765
Fax: (775) 784-1358

Mailing Address:
Mail Stop 300-UNR
Reno, NV  89557

Curriculum vitae