About me

Adam Hobbs received his PhD from the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in 2026 and his MA from the University of Montana in 2019. He currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Whitworth University.

Adam’s research is rooted in a central concern of political science: how do social and material conditions interact to influence political behavior? His dissertation examined how housing markets shape political attitudes in the United States, with a focus on attitudes towards immigration and foreign real estate investment (FREI). Housing has been central to much of the economic and social upheaval of the 21st century, from the 2008 financial crisis to the post-COVID affordability crisis. In the US, the family home is both the largest asset in the portfolio of most households and a crucial buffer against economic insecurity (including retirement). Rising economic inequality is not only reflected in, but also driven by, unequal access to homeownership. Furthermore, housing is not merely an economic asset – it is where people build their lives, raise families, host friends, and create a sense of security, identity, and belonging. Because of this dual significance, he argues that housing markets are deeply intertwined with individual well-being, and thus, with political behavior.

Beyond his dissertation, Adam’s research focuses on how individuals make sense of and respond to economic insecurity and social dislocation in a globalized and unequal world. His ongoing projects examine how macroeconomic conditions influence mobilization among the unemployed, how housing affordability impacts protest behavior in Europe, how gender biases shape economic voting, how framing of elite tax evasion influences tax morale, and how foreign property ownership affects support for redistribution. Adam has published work in Democratization, Political Research Quarterly (PRQ), and Terrorism and Political Violence. He has also presented research at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association (APSA), Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), Western Political Science Association (WPSA), as well as at the Rebecca B. Morton Conference on Experimental Political Science and the Political Institutions and Political Economy (PIPE) conference. This year, he is co-organizing and co-chairing a pre-conference workshop at APSA 2026 titled “The Disrupted World: Politics and Economics in Transition,” designed to provide a forum for political economy graduate students to receive feedback their research.

Outside of the classroom, Adam enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and dog. He also enjoys cooking and baking, especially French, Italian, and southern BBQ dishes. Lastly, he is a big fan of America’s favorite football team…the Seattle Seahawks.