Michael Overton (Ph.D., University of North Texas, 2015) is an assistant professor of political science where he uses his public sector experience to identify research topics that matter to government entities. His research focuses on the intersection of local government management and fiscal policy. He is particularly interested in topics involving local government fiscal health, economic development financing, transportation and local government competition. His research into these areas has been funded by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the North Central Texas Council of Governments and published in prominent public administration journals including The American Review of Public Administration, State and Local Government and Public Money and Management.

Over the brief tenure of his career, he has received prestigious awards for his scholarship. In 2015, he won the Toulouse Dissertation Award in Social Science for best social science dissertation at UNT. He was selected for the 2016 Lincoln Scholars Program hosted by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and recently, he was honored as a 2017 American Society of Public Administration Founders Fellow.

• 2017 ASPA Founders Fellow, Spring 2017, ASPA Founders Fellowship Committee, American Society of Public Administration.

• 2016 Leadership Acceleration Program, Fall 2016, John Peter Smith Health Network, John Peter Smith Foundation.

• 2016 Lincoln Scholars Program, Spring 2016, Department of Land Valuation and Taxation, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

• 2015 Toulouse Dissertation Award in Social Science, Summer 2015, Toulouse Graduate School, University of North Texas.

• Student Travel Award, Fall 2014, College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of North Texas.

• Graduate Assistantship Tuition Scholarship (GATS), Fall 2011 – Spring 2014, Department of Public Administration, University of North Texas.

• Research Assistant and Teaching Fellow, Fall 2011 – Spring 2014, Department of Public Administration, University of North Texas.

• Hatton W. Sumners Scholar, Fall 2010 – Fall 2011, Department of Public Administration, University of North Texas.

• Overton, Michael. (2018). “Market Differentiation and the Adoption of Economic Development Strategies: Explaining Policy Adoption in Metropolitan Areas.” The Review of Regional Studies, 47 (3).

• Overton, Michael, Julius Nukpezah, and Orkhan Ismayilov. (2017) “Early Payments, Late Payments, and Revenue Volatility in Texas Cities.” Public Money & Management, 38 (7).

• Overton, Michael. (2017) “Sorting Through the Determinants of Local Government Competition.” The American Review of Public Administration, 47 (8). 

• Bland, Robert and Michael Overton. (2016). “Assessing the Contributions of Collaborators in Public-Private Partnerships: Evidence from Tax Increment Financing.” The American Review of Public Administration, 46 (4).

• Overton, Michael and Robert Bland. (2014). “The Great Recession’s Impact on Credible Commitment: An Analysis of Private Investment in Tax Increment Financing Districts.” State and Local Government Review, 46 (4).