Lawrence Nitz

Background

I was attracted to politics as an activity because of the engagement it gave me, far beyond school and local work. I was attracted to the profession in part because the courses were fun--after all, my first course was during the Cuban revolution. And, in part, political science was a refuge from the pre-med students who populated the basic sciences. It seemed that political science students actually wanted to know what was happening!

Education

• PhD, Political Science, Minor Psychology, Michigan State University, 1969
• MA, Political Science, Michigan State University, 1965
• AB, Political Science, University of Michigan, 1963

Courses

• POLS 130: Introduction to American Politics
• POLS 381: Administration and Society
• POLS 385: American Politics
• POLS 390: Political Inquiry and Analysis
• POLS 402: Legislative Internship
• POLS 403: Community Internship
• POLS 405: Executive Internship
• POLS 408: Mānoa Undergraduate Congressional Fellowship Internship Seminar

Research

I have been engaged in the legislative process for over thirty years. Most of my work has been in the evaluation of financing programs for long-term care. I have worked on three proposals for social insurance packages that would provide a year or more of benefits to Hawai’i residents who become sufficiently disabled as they age to need personal assistance with several activities of daily living (That is a gussied-up expression for getting out of bed, moving from bed to chair, going to the bathroom and so forth.) The financing mechanisms have been designed as social insurance programs with broad participation. This work has brought me close to the committee and bill-drafting processes on which legislatures depend. Recent research focuses on financial protection for the vulnerable.

Community Engagement

For over thirty years I have worked with the Hawaiʻi Legislative Internship program. Ten years ago, the program was expanded with larger scholarships, and the addition of full-time scholarships for interns working Hawaii's Washington, D.C. congressional offices. I plan to continue this work in the future.