Thomas R. Dye (born December 16, 1935) is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Florida State University and was formerly a McKenzie Professor of Government. Dye has described politics as being about who gets scarce governmental resources, where, when, why and how.

Academic background and preparation

Dye graduated from Pennsylvania State University where he received his B.S. and M.A. degrees; Dye received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Dye has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Georgia, among other institutions. He was a visiting scholar at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. Dye has served as president of the Southern Political Science Association, the Policy Studies Organization, and has served as the secretary of the American Political Science Association. Presently, Dye served as past president of the Lincoln Center for Public Service.

Areas of interest

Dye's main research interests center on the conflict between the two political organizational theories of Elite theory vs. Pluralism in American politics. His two best known works The Irony of Democracy (now in its 17th edition) and Who's Running America? (now in its 8th edition, The Obama Reign) discuss this on-going conflict in great detail. Dye has also researched and published on the role of major campaign contributors, foundations and think tanks, interest groups, and the media in policy formation in Washington, D.C.

Major publications

Honors and awards