Frederick “Fritz” Mayer is an associate professor of public policy studies and political science at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Mayer teaches the Narrative and Leadership course for HLP.

Mayer’s research focuses on globalization and its effects, with particular emphasis on the labor and environmental effects of economic integration. His book Interpreting NAFTA: The Art and Science of Political Analysis (Columbia University Press, 1998) chronicles the history of NAFTA and explores the nature of the political processes that created NAFTA, both within and among Mexico, Canada and the United States. In a research project titled “Two Faces of Governance: Public and Private Governance of Economic Integration in the Americas,” Mayer brought together participants from labor, environment, business and government to seek creative approaches to dealing with labor and environmental issues in the context of economic integration in the Americas.

In addition to his academic experience, Mayer served as senior international trade and foreign policy advisor to former U. S. Sen. Bill Bradley from 1992 to 1993. In previous stints in Washington, Mayer served as an aide to Congressman Sander Levin, as a policy analyst at the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, and as editor at the Close Up Foundation, an educational non-profit organization. From 1997 to 2000, he was director of Duke’s Center for North American Studies.

Mayer received an A.B. in history and literature from Harvard College, and an M.P.P. and a Ph.D. in public policy, both from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Office:
178 Rubenstein Hall

Phone:
(919) 613-9209

Email:
frederick.mayer@duke.edu