Donahue’s research focuses on how the many types of individual and group participation influence public policy, and the research methods we use to measure participation, policy design, and program outcomes. The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the need to better understand individual and group participation, and how social policies influence the quality of life. During the 2022 tenure, Donahue will focus on comparing examples of resident participation, policymaking, and sustainable development in Finland, with similar examples from US research. Donahue’s other research focuses on civil rights; women in STEM; history of science; and higher education.
Donahue is currently a policy fellow at George Mason University’s (GMU) Schar School of Policy and Government, and an independent scholar. Previously, she served as a senior analyst at a research agency of the U.S. Congress, and over twenty years, was lead author or co-author on over seventy peer-reviewed studies examining federal government policies and programs on such areas as economic, community, and international development; technology; defense; health; labor; education; and finance.