Hello! I’m Eric Benjamin Mackey
*On the Job Market: 2025-2026*

I am a PhD Candidate in the Political Science Department at the University of California, Riverside.  I am a political theorist working in contemporary democratic theory with interests including deliberative democratic theory, elite philanthropy, comparative democratic theory, neoliberalism, and ideology. My research centers on contemporary political theory–particularly contemporary democratic theory. I specialize in studying how political science and political theory draw on democratic concepts to address concerns about elite philanthropy, ideology and neoliberalism. My broader research agenda hopes to explore and expand how we understand democratic practices and apply democratic principles and concepts to address the most intractable problems of politics. My dissertation argues for an approach that critically examines the ideological underpinnings of elite philanthropy and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of particular democratic concepts used to overcome these problems. I illustrate how antidemocratic ideas about the common good persist within seemingly democratic institutions that appear to offer formal political equality which challenges how democracy is often understood to accommodate these problems. I illustrate how elite philanthropy shapes debates regarding the common good that emphasizes solutions to political problems that favor wealthy groups. 

I have graduate degrees in Liberal Studies and Political Science. At Valparaiso University I developed research interests in social contract theory, democracy, and professional ethics. At UC, Riverside I am on track to complete a PhD in Political Science in June of 2025. Along the way I earned an MA in political science with concentrations in political theory and comparative politics. Additionally I have had formal legal training from Roosevelt University in Chicago where I learned to conduct legal research, craft legal memoranda, brief cases. I also Bachelors in History with a focus in contemporary American history from Ball State University.

I was born in Chicago and spent much of my professional life as a merchant mariner, working on the Chicago River as a deckhand, senior deckhand, and eventually as captain for Wendella Tours and Cruises (if you're in Chicago seeing it from the river is the best way to go). I also grew up in Northwest Indiana, where I worked in high schools as a paraprofessional for an alternative program and as a substitute teacher. For 15 years I worked both on the river and in schools. During this time, I discovered my passion for politics, law, philosophy, ethics, and education, which led me to pursue graduate studies in political theory after briefly exploring the legal profession as a paralegal. I’m an avid baseball fan and my team is the Chicago Cubs, though my friends in LA have recently convinced me to cheer—if somewhat reluctantly—for the Dodgers as well (go Sandy Koufax). Additionally, I'm a movie buff and enjoy watching and discussing films across a wide range of genres, from Oscar contenders and artsy indies to big-budget blockbusters