Public policy · public management · Public finance
I study how public institutions finance, govern, and implement policy in complex and shifting environments
01 Associate Professor
Texas A&M University
Research areas
01 / About
Robert Greer is an associate professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Public Management at Texas A&M University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy.
His recent work examines governance structure and public finance, with current projects focused on regulatory systems for AI and the economic effects of AI on labor and government finance.
“Management matters—especially when public systems are under stress.”
02 / Current research
Interdisciplinary work designed to connect policy architecture with real-world administrative capacity.
AI · Labor · Public finance
A fiscal stress-test of whether U.S. unemployment insurance can remain solvent under plausible scenarios of AI-driven labor displacement.
Open the interactive stress testThe model examines job displacement, take-up rates, claim duration, and state-level financing to identify the conditions under which trust funds are depleted—and which reforms are most consequential.
AI · Regulation · Risk
Examining how third-party verification regimes for frontier AI can move from the appearance of oversight to meaningful risk reduction.
The work maps policy options from disclosure to binding pre-deployment gates, focusing on design choices that address cyber, biological, loss-of-control, and concentration-of-power risks.
Water · Governance · Sustainability
A global study of desalination and water reuse, and the governance systems that shape transformation in water-stressed cities.
This three-year, $1.5 million interdisciplinary grant compares case sites in Texas, California, Australia, and Israel with a focus on anticipatory governance.
Management · Risk · Implementation
A case study of the U.S. Department of Labor’s use of risk management to improve unemployment insurance program outcomes.
With Justin Bullock, this work translates DOL’s operational experience into practical risk-management strategies for public agencies.
03 / Selected publications
With Erin Kavanaugh · State and Local Government Review
With E. Gerrish, M. Ivonchyk, C. Charles & T. Moldogaziev · Public Administration Review
With T. Moldogaziev & T. Scott · Public Management Review
With M. Young, M. Compton & J. Bullock · Public Management Review
With T. Scott, R. Scott & T. Moldogaziev · JPART
04 / Contact