Darrell West (born October 6, 1954) is an American author, political scientist, and political commentator. West is the vice president and director of governance studies and director of the center for technology innovation at the Brookings Institution. He has written about technology policy, mass media, and campaigns and elections in the United States. The spring 2008 semester was his final semester at Brown University after 26 years on the faculty.
He was born in Richmond, Indiana and graduated with a B.A. from Miami University (Ohio) in 1976 and a Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 1981. He taught at Brown University from 1982 to 2008. He was the director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University. His book Digital Government is the winner of the Don K. Price award for best book on technology and his co-authored book Cross Talk won the Doris Graber award for best book on political communications. His most recent books are Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy (Brookings Institution Press, 2010) and Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era (Brookings Institution Press,2009; co-authored with Edward Miller).
Starting in 2000, he has undertaken annual studies on the websites of the 50 states, the leading federal agencies, and the 198 nations around the world. His e-government reports are available online at InsidePolitics.org and Brookings.edu.
Public Opinion in Rhode Island (1994) with Thomas Anton and Jack Combs
Cross Talk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign, (1996) with Marion Just, Ann Crigler, Dean Alger, Tim Cook, and Montague Kern
The Sound of Money: How Political Interests Get What They Want (1999) with Burdett Loomis
Checkbook Democracy: How Money Corrupts Political Campaigns (2000)
Patrick Kennedy: The Rise to Power (2000)
Celebrity Politics, (2002) with John Orman
The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment (2001)
Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance (2005)
Evaluating Campaign Quality: Can the Electoral Process Be Improved? (2007) with Sandy Maisel and Brett Clifton
Biotechnology Policy Across National Boundaries (2007)
Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns, 1952-2008 (2009)
Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era (2009) with Edward Miller
Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy (2010)