James K. Scott, Ph.D. is Associate Professor in the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also holds a joint appointment as and Associate Professor in MU's Department of Rural Sociology, He has consulted with federal, state and local government agencies on a wide range of rural and regional policy issues. Scott has published numerous articles and research reports on rural and regional development policy, local public involvement, and local public decision making. His current research focuses on the use of information technology in local governance and public involvement in local and regional governance.
Dr. Scott is also active in several related European research projects. He serves as Director of the University of Missouri's European Union Center, one of fifteen US research centers funded by the EU Commission. In this capacity, he hosted a recent international conference entitled, Digital Democracy in the EU and US: Technology and the Future of Local and Regional Governance.
Scott served as a senior research scientist with the Show Me Project, a multiyear interdisciplinary initiative in rural community and economic development in the Border regions of Ireland. He worked closely with project team members, local and national government officials and community representatives both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Dr. Scott also serves as the US delegate to the International Steering Committee of the European Rural University, an association of rural policy makers, practitioners and scholars from through out Europe with interests in rural development policy.
