Dr. Deborah Harris

Dr. Harris joined the Department of Sociology at Texas State University in 2007.  She  received her Ph.D. from Mississippi State University where she worked as a research associate with the Workforce, Economic, and Community Development Research Unit within the university’s Social Science Research Center.  During her time there, Dr. Harris developed research interests in how changes to the economy and various social programs have affected families and local communities, as well as what measures can be taken to improve their well-being.  She has taught courses in the area of stratification and inequality (undergraduate and graduate levels), qualitative research methods, and the family. 

Dr. Harris has been involved in several research projects including studies on the needs of Mississippi’s dislocated workers, the assessment of workforce skill gaps of large manufacturers, the communications infrastructure within and across state agencies, the responses of local communities to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions, and the impacts of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act on poor rural families.     

Her work has been published in several journals including the Journal of Poverty, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, and Sociological Spectrum.  Currently, she is working on two research projects that explore 1) the work and life experiences of female chefs and 2) the role that social networks play in facilitating or thwarting economic mobility for low-income mothers. 

Recent publications:

Harris, Deborah A. and Domenico Parisi.  2008.  “Forward-Looking Behavior and Time Limits:  How Do Rural TANF Clients Manage Their Welfare Eligibility?”  Journal of Poverty, 12(3):265-283.

Harris, Deborah A. and Domenico Parisi.  2008.  “Welfare and Family Economic Security:  Towards a New Poverty Knowledge.” Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 35(3):97-113.

Harris, Deborah A. and Domenico Parisi.  2008.  “Looking for ‘Mr. Right’:  The Viability of Marriage Initiatives for African American Women in Rural Settings.”  Sociological Spectrum, 28(4):338-356.