Nicholas G. Napolio is broadly interested in political institutions, bureaucracy, and intergovernmental relations. Specifically, he studies the political ramifications of institutional structures and procedures, and how the vertically and horizontally fragmented American political system enables or constrains elite behavior. Some of his ongoing projects examine state resistance to federal policy, the relationship between state and federal bureaucrats, and the role bureaucrats play in constraining presidential preferences. His research has been published in the Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy; Politics, Groups, and Identities; and State Politics & Policy Quarterly.