Scott LaCombe

Scott LaCombe is an Assistant Professor of Government and Statistical & Data Sciences at Smith College. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa, alongside a Master’s degree and a B.S. in Political Science and Spanish from Missouri State University. His research focuses on the role of political institutions in American states, particularly how institutional design impacts policy responsiveness and diffusion. LaCombe employs advanced statistical methods such as multilevel modeling, Bayesian analysis, and network analysis to explore these topics. He is a co-author of Choosing the Future: Technology and Opportunity in Communities (Oxford UP), examining broadband’s role in community resilience and economic growth. His NSF-funded work includes developing the State Policy Innovation and Diffusion (SPID) Database, a comprehensive resource for policy adoption studies. Collaborations with GoDaddy explore broadband’s impact on local economies. LaCombe leads a state politics lab analyzing LGBTQ policy adoption and democratic design challenges.

LaCombe’s teaching spans government and statistical sciences, emphasizing quantitative methods and policy analysis. His research has been featured in the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Policy Studies Journal, and his work on broadband has appeared in the New York Times and Brookings Institution reports. He actively engages in public outreach, bridging academic insights with societal impact.