Professor Bartlett is a leading scholar in the areas of policy analysis and public administration, environmental policy, and science and technology policy. In 1990 he was a Fulbright Scholar and in 1992 a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Resource Management, Lincoln University, New Zealand. In 1999, he was a Fulbright Scholar at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
He is the author, co-author and editor of seven books or monographs, most recently: Environmental Policy in New Zealand: The Politics of Clean and Green?, Policy Through Impact Assessment, Environment as a Focus for Public Policy, International Organizations and Public Policy and Environmental Policy: Transitional Issues and National Trends.
He has contributed to other books and professional journals, including American Politics Quarterly, Natural Resources Journal, and Environmental Ethics. His current research focuses on theory and evaluation of environmental impact and a comparative analysis of strategic environmental planning by national governments.
The Frank Church Institute was established in 1982 as the Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University, to honor the achievements and to carry forward the principles of one of Idaho’s most distinguished native sons, Senator Frank Church.
Through the endowment, Boise State University emphasizes to its students those ideals which the Senator held dear - a strong belief in the rule of law, eloquence firmly based on reason and an unwavering faith in the American political system.
The endowment has been used to fund the annual Frank Church Conferences, the Frank Church Distinguished Professor and future Frank Church Scholarships.
The goal of the Frank Church Institute is to build the endowment to fully fund the Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs, the annual Frank Church Conferences and the proposed Frank Church Scholarships at Boise State University.
An integral part of the Institute is its focus on education. Students make up a large part of the conference observers, and a number of professors use the conference to supplement their courses.
As a former member of the Idaho Supreme Court has written, "we need sons and daughters of Idaho, like Frank Church, to give us a broader view of the public policies that will best serve the people of Idaho, the nation and the world."