Our department chair, Kerry Haynie, welcomed everyone to our department commencement and highlighted the resilience of our graduating class. We could not be more proud.
Governor JB Pritzker, Class of 1987, received our Distinguished Alumni Award and offered valuable lessons for graduating students.
"Don't be afraid to take risks," Pritzker said, "and the corollary: take advantage of lucky breaks, especially when unusual opportunities come along to… read more about JB Pritzker is our 2022 Distinguished Alumni »
Each year our department awards excellence in scholarship
Congratulations to our award winners. In the 2021-22 academic year, our graduate students continued to produce important scholarship in preparation for publication and the job market.
OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION
Diego Romero.
"Connections and Privileged Access: Essays on The Political Economy of Corruption"
OUTSTANDING MA THESIS
Qi Liu.
“Moral Hazard in Hierarchical International Agreements: Bilateral Swap Agreements,… read more about Congratulations to our department award winners »
Six members of Duke’s Class of 2023 have been named to the second class of Nakayama Scholars.
The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship is part of the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with the large challenges facing communities around the world. The students represent multiple disciplines across Duke’s academic departments as well as a variety of future careers.
Juniors Alexandra Bennion, Bentley Choi, Garrett Goodman, Shreyas Hallur, Andrew Liu and Nellie Sun were chosen… read more about Duke Names Second Class of Nakayama Scholars »
Maria Morrison toured the USS Hopper in Pearl Harbor on her 2022 spring break trip. She is a senior, majoring in political science
Going to Pearl Harbor has been a dream of mine for years. Both as a Political Science student studying Security, Peace, and Conflict and as an American with great respect and reverence for the brave young men who fought there, the historic place is something I have wanted to visit for quite a while.
The fact that Pearl Harbor happens to be on a beautiful… read more about Going to Pearl Harbor has been a dream of mine: a political science student reflects on her spring break trip »
April
Pablo Beramendi and Melissa Rogers. 2022. Geography, Capacity, and Inequality: Spatial Inequality (Elements in Political Economy). Cambridge University Press.
Kaisheka Capers and Candis Watts Smith have been awarded Honorable Mention for the 2022 Beryl Radin Award for Best Article in Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory for the article, “Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration: Assessing the Link between Passive and Active Representation for Foreign-Born Clients.”
Brian Guay… read more about Scholarship and Milestones, 2022 »
A new program for Duke sophomores – which launched earlier this year – will include a Political Science course this fall: “Liberalism and Its Critics” (POLSCI 247S).
The course is part of the new “Transformative Ideas” program that is designed to promote open and civil cross-disciplinary dialogue on questions and big ideas that change lives, link cultures and shape societies around the world.
“Liberalism and Its Critics” – taught by Alfredo Watkins of Political Science and Bruce Caldwell of Economics – focuses on the… read more about Political Science Course Among Fall “Transformative Ideas” Offerings »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Though he teased a military assault for weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin still surprised many with his decision to invade Ukraine Thursday. And his behavior in the days leading up to the invasion suggested an erratic, unpredictable leader whose next moves won’t be entirely clear, two Duke scholars said Thursday.
Speaking to media in a virtual media briefing, two scholars with vast expertise on Russia and the former Soviet Union discussed the nascent war, the role of sanctions, what the U.S. will do… read more about Putin’s Invasion Of Ukraine Reveals Leader ‘Disconnected In Many Senses From Reality,’ Expert Says »
April
Milena Ozernova (T '22) is awarded a Benenson Award in the Arts this year to support and sustain their work over the summer months and help launch the graduating seniors into the next phase of their life, reports Duke Arts
March
Paula McClain is honored by a graduate student fellowship established in her name in recognition of her efforts to strengthen graduate student financial support (particularly summer Ph.D. funding) and professional development; her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and her… read more about In the News, 2022 »
Leann Mclaren
Would Black Americans support a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest? What if the protesters began looting stores? What if they set fire to an empty building? These are some of the questions that Leann McLaren is exploring in one of her research projects.
McLaren, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in political science, is researching behavior and identity, with a specific focus on race in American politics.
“Much of my work concentrates on the connection between racial… read more about McLaren’s Research Explores Black Opinions on Black Lives Matter »
Civic spaces can serve as a barometer of political health. Policymakers and researchers need accurate analysis of the civic spaces around the globe in order to know what locations need help. Devlab@Duke has launched a new interactive online tool to address shrinking civic space and growing authoritarianism around the world. This tool will put incredibly fine-grained data and highly accurate forecasts of civic space events into the hands of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers… read more about Machine Learning for Peace: website forecasts civic spaces »
Collectively, the several weeks before and after the January 6th insurrection attempt constituted the most serious test of American civil-military relations in the contemporary era. Our senior leaders passed the test because, first and foremost, they remembered and honored their professional oath to the Constitution, which superseded any partisan loyalty to a given politician. Second, senior leaders remembered the adage “process is your friend” --- civilian control, in the American context, was part of a system of good… read more about Peter Feaver: After January 6th civil-military relations passed a severe test »
Thursday marks the first anniversary of the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol, when a mob stormed the building as Congressional members gathered to certify the 2020 presidential election.
“If we don’t reckon with the deep historical roots of what happened this time last year, those events could be prologue to a far worse outcome in the future,” says Nancy MacLean, a Duke professor of history and public policy.
MacLean points to the finding from the House select committee tasked with… read more about One Year Later, Scholars Examine Fallout From U.S. Capitol Riot »
December
Serkant Adiguzel, Mateo Villamizar Chaparro, Donald Moratz, and Diego Romero team up with other researchers and projects leads, Jeremy Springman and Erik Wibbels, to launch the Machine Learning for Peace forecasting website, supported and funded by USAID
Michael Munger authors an op ed analysis of inflation and the plan circulating to address it, in the Wall Street Journal
November
Peter Feaver hosts a conversation with General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports Duke…read more about In the News, 2021 »
Political Science
