Political ScienceNow, to be clear, I’m not trying to say that Brexit itself was a bad decision. My point is about majority rule and voting. In this post, I’m going to argue that voting was not the best way to represent the will of the people when the Brexit decision was being made. Continue reading here read more about Brexit Illustrates Why Voting Is One of the Worst Ways to Make Decisions - Michael Munger »
Votes aside, the Congressional Black Caucus has kept its issues in the news cycle while presidential politics play out, says Duke University’s Kerry Haynie, an expert on race and ethnic politics. Butterfield can use the “bully pulpit,” Haynie said, to stay relevant at a time when the CBC’s legislative power is limited. It seems the group has helped shape Hillary Clinton’s campaign talking points, Haynie said. And several CBC members will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia later next week.… read more about The leader of the Congressional Black Caucus is having a huge year - Kerry Haynie interviewed »
Low-trust societies participate disproportionately less in international commerce, and attract less investment. And, indeed, according to the World Values Survey and related research, trust among individuals in the Middle East is low enough to limit commercial transactions to people who know one another either personally or through mutual acquaintances. Because of their lack of trust, Arabs will often pass up potentially lucrative opportunities to gain through exchange...perceptions of trustworthiness in the Arab world are… read more about The Roots of Middle East Mistrust - Timur Kuran »
The world has become a much, much better place as a result of globalization with a decline in violence, the growth of prosperity at almost all levels (a huge decline in absolute poverty), greater cultural and social interaction, etc. But it does hurt those who lack skills or who do not do well in school, or drop out and want a blue collar job like their fathers or grandfathers had. Such jobs exist, they are just in Vietnam and other third world countries where people are willing to work for much less than in the US.… read more about Ask the Experts: Michael Gillespie on Patriotism »
A few weeks ago The Economist made antibiotic resistance its cover story, and for good reason. We live in a bacterial world. The average person hosts about 39 trillion bacteria. Lucky for us, most bacteria are benign – they crowd out pathogenic bacteria like e. coli in our gut, staph on our skin, and strep in our mouth. Even pathogenic bacteria usually do us no harm unless they invade our bloodstream or otherwise find their way into parts of our bodies that our immune system is poorly equipped to deal… read more about Antibiotic Resistance and Collective Harms - Jonathan Anomaly writes for BHL »
While we can’t say for sure why young people are less likely to express racist attitudes, there are several possible explanations. Not only has this group of white people come of age during the racial backlash to President Obama, but they are also one of the most educated cohorts, and able to benefit from the liberalizing effects of education on racial attitudes. While Obama’s election led some people to hope we had entered a post-racial America, the deeply racialized backlash to his presidency has awakened many young… read more about Young voters are much more likely to reject Trump’s racism - Ashley Jardina coauthors »
Professor Kuran, of Duke University, said the Ottoman Sharia judges had been trying to help those with high social status. “What we see here are unintended consequences. The court’s intent was to assist groups considered worthy of support,” he wrote. “The unintended consequence was to render them less trustworthy and increase their cost of borrowing. “The biases of the courts made it risky to lend to privileged groups. The courts gave privileged groups incentives to break contracts. “Judicially favoured… read more about Ottoman Empire courts data reveal a cause for sluggish industrialization - Timur Kuran »
Proponents of Brexit have made strong claims, including that it will ultimately make Britain richer and restore its liberty. But the ultimate reason for the strength of the exit camp is the near-complete failure of the British political leadership. Over the past half century, Britain's leaders have failed to embrace Europe openly and to make a case for EU membership based on something broader and deeper than a short-term utilitarian calculus. While the leaders of the British Labour party have supported EU membership… read more about The Brexit referendum is a failure of political leadership - Tim Büthe »
Political science faculty, David Siegel and Peter Feaver wrote op-ed pieces responding to policy questions surrounding the tragedy of the recent Orlando shooting. Writing in, "Why you can't support a no-fly list but allow those on it to get guns" Siegel concludes, "A member of Congress could be consistent with his or her positions on Second Amendment issues and argue that the no-fly list represents an unjust and dangerous government overreach. Or that member could be consistent with his or her views on security and… read more about David Siegel and Peter Feaver respond to the policy implications of the Orlando massacre »
What are the best practices in qualitative research design as they pertain to research transparency? Tim Büthe has recently co-chaired the steering committee to launch Qualitative Transparency Deliberations, a discussion platform approved by the American Political Science Association to help answer meta-questions in the social sciences like what the costs, risks, standards, and best practices are for achieving quality research transparency. The Qualitative Transparency Deliberations… read more about Tim Büthe helps launch Qualitative Transparency Deliberations »
On May 12-14, Tim Büthe, associate professor of political science and public policy, attended the lead authors' meeting in Geneva for "Varieties of Global Governance," chapter 12 of "Rethinking Society for the 21st Century", the report of the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). The IPSP is tasked to harness insights from across the social sciences to develop "research-based, multi-disciplinary, non-partisan, action-driven solutions to the most pressing challenges of… read more about International Panel on Social Progress: Chapter 12 Meets in Geneva, Tim Büthe attends »
Yes, they are, though political scientists have argued for years whether credibility really matters in foreign policy. There is an older body of scholarship that suggests concerns over credibility are overstated (for a sympathetic review of that literature, see here). According to this view, leaders could make idle threats and not pay a price, because in each new contest, the actors discounted heavily whatever had been done or not done, said or not said, in earlier stages. However, more recent scholarship has debunked… read more about Voices Carry: How Careless Campaign Bombast Can Undo Administrations - alumna Danielle Luption and Peter Feaver coauthor »
Duke Today is highlighting twenty-three seniors, seven of which are political science majors or minors. Here are those seven, and four more unforgettable Duke stories. Jay Ruckelshaus and Laura Roberts were awarded Rhodes Scholarships. In this video, they share the thrill of winning, their research goals, and their optimism. Kari Barclay was a Humanity in Action Fellow who reports back from Denmark in this video. He is using the arts in clever ways to promote political activism… read more about Graduation Stories: 11 seniors and their Duke legacies »
From Duke Today: This week, this third-generation Dukie graduates with a double major in political science and Asian & Middle Eastern studies with a minor in history. In August, Campbell-Mohn will head to Tsinghua University in Beijing for an accelerated, one-year master’s program as a member of the first class of Schwarzman Scholars. There she’ll study international relations. She will then consider whether to pursue a Ph.D. or seek a job in international relations with the U.S. government or a think tank. “I’m… read more about Graduation Stories: Emma Campbell-Mohn »
Congratulations to Melanie Manion who has been named the Vor Broker Family Professor of Political Science and Erik Wibbels who has been inducted into the Bass Society of Fellows as the Robert O. Keohane Professor of Political Science. Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 21 members of its faculty. Another four were inducted into the Bass Society of Fellows for Excellence in Teaching and Research. The professors were recognized at a May 4 dinner at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham.… read more about Melanie Manion and Erik Wibbels awarded distinguished professorships »
Watch David Morris, political science senior, address a Blue Devil Days audience about Duke University opportunities. read more about Graduation Stories: David Morris »
Cindy Jebb, who received her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University in 1997, was nominated by President Obama to become the first female dean of West Point. She has served as the head of the social science department at West Point since 2013. Peter Feaver, former National Security Council Staff Special Advisor and current Professor of Political Science congratulates Dr. Jebb writing: Dr. Jebb was one of the very first military fellows I had the… read more about Cindy Jebb, Duke Alumna, nominated to historic appointment »
Look, today’s students are grossly overscheduled, with commitments to clubs, activities, work, and athletic team practices and travel. Most of them have a computer, even if it is in their phones. That gives them access to a world of high-quality specialized, educational, entertaining, and informative digital content. It takes the form of videos, podcasts, recorded lectures, and animated features that explain or illustrate fundamental points about a wide variety of subjects. Doing more with less is not very rewarding. But if… read more about The Beauty of the Virtual Discussion Section - Michael Munger writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education »
Jack Knight is the Frederic Cleaveland Professor of Law and Political Science and chair of the political science department. He joins 213 new members to be induced at a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 8, 2016. Knight is a political scientist and legal theorist whose scholarly work focuses on modern social and political theory, law and legal theory, and political economy. He holds a joint appointment with Duke Law School and Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. In addition to… read more about Jack Knight elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences »
The presidency with its national electorate and electoral rules that favor two-party competition establishes two national major parties, which frames the opportunity structure that influences party affiliation decisions of ambitious politicians running for lower offices. Control over the policy agenda helps reinforce the continuation of a particular two-party system in equilibrium by blocking third parties through divergence on the main issue dimension and the suppression of latent issue dimensions that could benefit… read more about Why Two Parties? Ambition, Policy, and the Presidency - John Aldrich publishes with Daniel Lee »
Local politicians and bureaucrats in low- and middle-income countries play a crucial role in the distribution of aid dollars, acting as gatekeepers in determining which constituents receive aid, and to what degree that assistance is effective. In Ghana for example, district governments spend about 80 percent of their budgets on development projects, including schools, health clinics, etc. There are many theories about why politicians choose to distribute aid in the ways they do, but little evidence to support one theory… read more about Erik Wibbels helps answer: "How are development projects allocated to different communities?" »
The English “common law,” on which much of our jurisprudence is based, shows the way. A venerable common law doctrine is the implied contract associated with being “open for business.” If I advertise prices, goods and services for sale, I must honor that offer. So a pizza restaurant can’t double its prices for Jews, or African-Americans, or refuse service to Muslims. If I refuse to do business on the advertised terms (“We don’t serve your kind!”) I have committed fraud. In these situations, no law… read more about Is freedom of association discriminatory? - Michael Munger writes column for North State Journal »
Tim Büthe coordinated his seminar course, "The Law and Politics of Market Competition in a Global Economy" through a field trip to Washington, D.C. on March 28 and 29, with the generous support of the Program on American Grand Strategy. This focused itinerary (click here for event photographs) included visits with federal government officials in the two antitrust enforcement and competition policy agencies (the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission), one of the… read more about Tim Büthe leads seminar field trip to Washington, D.C. »
Peter Feaver and Bruce Jentleson debate contemporary issues of national security and foreign policy. The entire series of Foreign Exchange Debates is available on YouTube. read more about History in Cuba; Terror in Brussels - Another episode of Foreign Exchange Debate »
In Geneva, Switzerland, Prof. Tim Büthe opened the 2nd workshop of the project on Rethinking Stakeholder Participation in Global Governance, which he co-directs with Swiss colleagues Joost Pauwelyn, Martino Maggetti, Ayelet Berman and Theresa Carpenter. It is part of an ongoing collaboration of Duke University with the Graduate Institute, Geneva, and the University of Lausanne, funded by the Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) and led on Duke's behalf by the Department of Political Science. … read more about Tim Büthe co-chairs conference on Rethinking Stakeholder Participation in Global Governance »
Peter D. Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University, signed a letter from top Republican national security leaders objecting to Mr. Trump earlier this month and said he was confounded by the advisers that the candidate ultimately came up with. “I think that normally, the front-runner for a Republican presidential campaign, by March of the campaign year, has assembled a team that is more distinguished than this,” said Dr. Feaver, who was a national security adviser in the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton… read more about Top Experts Confounded by Advisers to Donald Trump - Peter Feaver interviewed for The New York Times »
Whatever the outcome of the race for the White House, the entire American establishment, including career politicians, the super-rich, academia, the press, the high professions, big business, and major civil society organizations, now has fair warning that the stability of the American system of governance requires addressing the problems of groups that have not shared in the fruits of globalization. To dismiss the cries of Trumpists (or of Bernie-fans) merely as expressions of bigotry or prejudice is to be in denial.… read more about You Can’t Keep a Lid on Discontent Forever - Timur Kuran writes for Cato Unbound »
“Before, the National Assembly wasn’t so much part of the national consciousness,” but this year’s crop of independents draws from a far wider cross-section of society, said Edmund J. Malesky, a Vietnam specialist and a professor of political economy at Duke University. Continue reading the main stor Professor Malesky said that the independents were younger than ever and that many were discussing their platforms with a degree of openness that is rare in the one-party state. Debates in the National Assembly had become… read more about In One-Party Vietnam, Independents vie for Assembly Seats - Edmund Malesky interviewed in The New York Times »
But if Trump fails to win a majority of delegates, the logic is equally clear: securing a plurality of the vote (or delegates) does not provide Trump with any special claim to legitimacy, nor does it give him the mantle of “the people’s choice.” In this case, a brokered convention that denies him the nomination is not a coup in which the party’s establishment thumbs its nose at the electorate. On the contrary, such an outcome can represent the preferences of many voters, and have an equally powerful claim to be “democratic… read more about Think a ‘brokered’ convention is undemocratic? Think again. - Georg Vanberg writes for The Washington Post »