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Kevin R. Kosar

Goodreads Author

Born

Akron, Ohio, The United States

Website

http://www.kevinrkosar.com

Twitter

kevinrkosar

Genre

Nonfiction, Politics, Cooking, Food & Wine

Member Since

May 2011

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Hi!

I am the co-editor of Congress Overwhelmed: Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform (2020), the coauthor of Unleashing Opportunity: Policy Reforms for an Accountable Administrative State (2017), and the author of: Ronald Reagan and Education Policy (2011); Failing Grades: The Federal Politics of Education (2005), Whiskey: A Global History (2010), and Moonshine: A Global History (2017).

I have written for the New York Times, Washington Monthly magazine, Washington Post, Public Administration Review, and various journals, magazines, and newspapers.

I blog and edit at UnderstandingCongress.org, EdwardCBanfield.org, Beverages, Books, and More, Federal Education Policy History website, and Kosar's Fishing Notes.

I work at the American E ...more

500 posts
Kevin R. Kosar's Blog

Trump Cuts $810 Million in Federal Spending He Previously Approved

President Donald Trump recently snipped $810 million in federal spending. The late September cuts would come to spending authorized mostly for federal aid to undocumented immigrants…. (Read more)

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Published on October 11, 2026 07:26

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Kevin R. Kosar’s books

Average rating: 3.84 · 171 ratings · 26 reviews · 28 distinct works • Similar authors

	Whiskey: A Global History 3.68 avg rating — 112 ratings — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Moonshine: A Global History 3.68 avg rating — 22 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Failing Grades: The Federal Politics Of Education Standards 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ronald Reagan and Education Policy it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Quasi Government: Hybrid Organizations with Both Government and Private Sector Legal Characteristics it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The U.S. Postal Service’s Use of Contractors to Deliver Mail: Background and Recent Developments it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three Steps for Reasserting Congress in Regulatory Policy it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Strengthen Congress it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Kevin R. Kosar…

Kevin is Currently Reading

Kevin Kosar is currently reading

The Cunning Of Unreason

by John Dunn

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May 10, 2019 05:14PM

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Hunting Hunting Trophy Muskies & Northerns (Complete Angler's Library)

by Joe Bucher

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Jul 04, 2017 08:37AM

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Broken Purse Strings: Congressional Budgeting, 1974-88

by Rudolph G. Penner

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Nov 01, 2015 05:36PM

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Kevin’s Recent Updates

Kevin R. Kosar wrote a new blog post In Our Current System, Congress’s Crazy Behavior is Actually Rational There’s no shortage of vital issues facing our country at the moment: rising gas prices, the ongoing war in Iran, concerns on the unfettered expansion Read more of this blog post »
Oct 13, 2026 12:43AM · like
Kevin Kosar rated a book A Case for Congress (Volume 17) (The Julian J. Rothbaum Distinguished Lecture Series) by Frances Lee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There is plenty to be dissatisfied about. Gas prices are high, as are the interest rates on 30-year mortgages and car loans. There has been a spate of scandals in the first six months of this year. And Congress has not had an especially productive ye ...more
Oct 06, 2026 07:32AM · like · see review
Kevin Kosar rated a book liked it Sacred (Kenzie & Gennaro, #3) by Dennis Lehane (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 30, 2026 05:38AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sacred by Dennis Lehane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sacred by Dennis Lehane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kevin Kosar rated a book really liked it The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 15, 2026 06:34AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kevin Kosar rated a book liked it Flint Kill Creek: Stories of Mystery and Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 15, 2026 06:19AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Flint Kill Creek by Joyce Carol Oates. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Flint Kill Creek by Joyce Carol Oates <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kevin Kosar rated a book really liked it The Life of Pi by Yann Martel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 07, 2026 06:15PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Life of Pi by Yann Martel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kevin Kosar rated a book really liked it How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information by Thomas S. Mullaney	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book is a keeper! “A U.S. dollar bill, turned 90 degrees and tattooed top-to-bottom, edge-to-edge, with Psalm 23. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Right next to it, a small slip of paper, creased and soft, covered wit ...more
Jun 20, 2026 05:39AM · 2 likes · like · see review
Kevin Kosar rated a book really liked it The Girl in Blue by P.G. Wodehouse	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 07, 2026 05:25AM · like
Kevin Kosar is now following Thomas S. Mullaney Author of The Chinese Typewriter: A History (Studies of t...
Jun 07, 2026 05:24AM · like
Kevin Kosar has read How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information by Thomas S. Mullaney	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 07, 2026 05:24AM · like