Scott Minkoff
Director, Benjamin Center
Director of the Benjamin Center
Scott L. Minkoff, Ph.D., is the Director of the Benjamin Center and an Associate Professor of Political Science at SUNY New Paltz. His teaching and research focus on American politics, state and local government, public policy, and social science research methods. Minkoff’s academic work has been published in leading journals including American Politics Research, Urban Affairs Review, Political Geography, and Social Science Quarterly. He is also a co-author of “The Struggle for Democracy,” a widely used introductory textbook on American politics, and the author (with Todd Makse and Anand Sokhey) of “Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces” (Oxford University Press).
In addition to his scholarly publications, Minkoff has been involved with applied research at nonprofit organizations focused on democracy and civic engagement. As a Senior Research Fellow at VoteAmerica during the 2023–2024 academic year, he led multiple studies evaluating the impact of vote-by-mail policies and political mobilization programs—including large-scale randomized field experiments—on voter turnout.
Minkoff holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder (2011) and a B.A. in Government from Skidmore College (2004). As Director, he is committed to expanding the Benjamin Center’s role as a hub for impactful, accessible, and policy-relevant research that strengthens democracy and improves public policy across the Hudson Valley and New York State.
