Valentine Lamar

Dr. Valentine A. Lamar is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute for Data, Research and Innovation Science (IDRIS), Rutgers University-Newark. Her research sits at the intersection of corruption, governance, institutional development, citizen engagement, and public policy.

Her doctoral work advanced a core argument that citizens’ corruption perceptions are not random attitudes, but systematically formed judgments that shape political behavior. Drawing on cognitive and collective action frameworks, her research examined how people evaluate government performance, including the role of personal bribery experiences in shaping perceptions of corruption, and how perceived corruption at the state, local, and street level influences citizens’ protest activism.

Lamar is currently part of a research initiative exploring the use of big and small data in maternal healthcare. She is also evaluating New Jersey’s anti-corruption policies to evaluate the relationship between public health spending and health outcome disparities.

Her scholarship has been presented at leading venues, including the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA), the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA), the Public Management Research Conference (PMRC), and the International Young Scholars Workshop. In 2021, ASPA’s Section on Ethics and Integrity in Governance recognized her with its Outstanding Student Paper of Year Award.

Before her current appointment, Lamar was a doctoral candidate and instructor at the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). Earlier in her career, she worked as a Kenya-based program coordinator, site builder, and documentary producer on community projects across Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. She holds an MPA and Global Studies Certificate from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a BA in Economics and Geography from the University of Nairobi.

Outside of academia, Lamar mentors young people through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties. She is also the founder of the Burden Bearer Foundation in Kenya, which provides educational support to students from low-income families, economic empowerment programs for widows and single mothers, and food assistance to children’s homes and rehabilitation centers. She is an avid sports enthusiast with a love for the outdoors, farming, reading, and puzzle-solving.