Neil Hernandez, Ph.D.
Researcher. Professor. Advocate.
Research
Research
My research focuses on ways that the American political system influences policymaking and the operation of agencies in the public sector, as well as the resulting impact these outcomes have on people. In an article
in the Journal of Policy History, I share my analytical framework, "policy innovation through bureaucratic organization," to elucidate how Labor Secretary Frances Perkins reorganized the immigration system her department operated to liberalize the strict immigration laws between 1933 and 1940. Relatedly, this research advances a narrative about Perkins which recognizes her leadership on immigration policy since she faced stiff resistance in her efforts to aid refugees within the Roosevelt administration.
At present, I am focused on studying the U.S. asylum process. My research homes in on presidential efforts to reorganize this process to restrict or liberalize claims for refuge while asylum officers adjudicate those claims. This research may reveal if presidents and their political appointees have applied some of the same methods as in the past.