About

The American State Administrators Project (ASAP) is a survey that provides data and information on the state administration of public policy, gathering the perspectives of state agency leaders across all American states, all agency types, and over time. The data are collected across a variety of topics, such as demographic characteristics, career and professional experience, programs and priorities, political relationships, federal aid, contracting, and more.

The ASAP data are available publicly to researchers across 10 survey waves—twice a decade from 1964 to 2008. The data years are: 1964, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1994, 1998, 2004, and 2008. The ASAP dataset is to be used for academic research only.

Dr. Deil Wright
Dr. Deil Wright

Dr. Deil Wright began ASAP in 1964. He was a much admired person and a tremendous scholar. Dr. Wright was also a wonderful mentor and an inspiration to all who knew him. He passed away in the late 2000s. Professor Cynthia Bowling of Auburn University co-directed the 2004 and 2008 ASAP surveys with Dr. Wright. Dr. Bowling graciously and helpfully assisted in the efforts to publicly release the 1964-2008 ASAP dataset. Thank you, Cindy!

Dr. Susan Webb Yackee of the La Follette School of Public Affairs and Department of Political Science at the UW-Madison has led the efforts to make the 1964 to 2008 ASAP data publicly available. Dr. Yackee used the public release of ASAP data as the basis for her 2019 Herbert Simon Mid-Career Contribution Award lecture, which was presented at the Midwest Political Science Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

In 2018, Dr. Yackee conducted a new survey inspired by ASAP with her co-principal investigator, Dr. Jason Webb Yackee, of the University of Wisconsin Law School.