College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Nathan Micatka

Research Areas
About
Nathan is a PhD Candidate in political science studying American politics and political methodology. His research focuses on political behavior, policy feedback, political socialization, and public policy. Specifically, Nathan studies how experiences with public policies shape people’s political attitudes and engagement with politics. He is also interested in the consequences this has for democratic politics. His dissertation looks at whether experiences with policies during adolescence have long-term effects on people’s political behavior. Nathan is interested in welfare policy, health policy, and criminal justice policy. His research also looks at how context like where someone lives and individual demographics like race and gender influence the long-term effects of policy. Nathan is currently studying how growing up in a household that participates in welfare programs affects an individual’s partisanship later in life.
Education
Awards
Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fall Fellowship, 2022
Graduate College Summer Fellowship, 2022
Best Graduate Student Seminar Paper Award, 2021
Presentations
“Socializing Policy Feedback: The Long-term Effects of Welfare Program Participation in Adolescence,” Midwest Political Science Association Conference, 2022