How did you begin working together?
Inman: Erica is putting together data for her thesis — very detailed information about the political structure of state governments. She is focusing on explaining is how states allocate resources across different districts, particularly lower-income, middle-income and upper-income districts, which is an interest of mine. I'm interested in how minorities can impact fiscal policy.

We may end up doing a paper together, but at the moment it's primarily her work on her dissertation, developing a database that will be beneficial to her, to me, and, most likely, to many other people.

What are the implications of this research?
Inman: One of the pressing issues is adequate funding for inner cities. Allocation of resources to these schools is primarily by states. In most inner city schools, there are a lot of lower income kids; therefore, there won't be a lot in the way of taxable resources. Those kids are going to be disadvantaged in terms of the taxing capacity of their jurisdiction for their education.

The important question is: Will state governments show any interest in funding inner city schools or schools where the preponderance of the population is lower income. How do states do this? That's the first order of calculation, which Erica will be able to do.

The second step is to determine if there is systematic discrimination. If there is, what can lower income kids or their representatives do to participate more effectively in the political process? Erica's collecting a lot of data on pre- and post-voting rights act. The voting rights act was a huge sea change in the political participation of blacks and Hispanics. Did being able to participate in the voting process make a big difference or not?

The third step is: Will legislatures representing lower income kids pay attention to education? Or are they interested in other things? Some preliminary work I have done on this question suggests that they are interested in other things.

What are some of the ingredients of a successful collaboration?
Johnson: Professor Inman treats me as a colleague. I get a lot of input from him, but I also give him input as well. It works both ways.

And he has always been supportive of my research. He's always looking out for new opportunities that might be of interest to me. For example, he brought to my attention an interdisciplinary fellowship with the Graduate School of Education, and I received the fellowship.

He also knows what questions to ask. And because he's very influential, he has a lot of contacts. So he's been able to put me in touch with the right people.

How has working together affected your own working style?
Johnson: It's made me better at collaborating with other students and professors. It's really shown me how to develop those relationships, especially as a co-author. It's helped me develop a skill set that will be useful for doing more research and then for getting a job and being a professor.

What advice would you give doctoral student applicants?
Johnson: I would say make sure there are people in the program you're applying to who do research that interests and excites you and who can help you further your own research. As useful as classes are, it's really important to find a mentoring relationship with a professor so you don't feel lost or flounder in the program.

Inman: Identify the faculty members with whom you'd like to work. Wharton is big, but it also has very explicit areas of expertise. Applicants should spend a good deal of time looking at faculty, even reading their research papers.