Michael Munger, a political science professor at Duke University, points out that there's not much difference between Hillary hitting the dab on Ellen and Bill Clinton hitting the sax on The Arsenio Hall Show back in 1992. The problem for Hillary, Munger said, is that her campaign's gimmicky voter outreach seems to have taken the place of a broader argument for her candidacy. "Clinton either can't be bothered or just isn't able to come up with principles that unify the… read more about Vice News interviews Michael Munger »
It’s been a good year for Jay Ruckelshaus. After completing his certificate in philosophy, politics, and economics last spring, Jay used the summer to hone his writing sample and apply for the Truman, Marshall, and Rhodes scholarships. The chance of winning one of them is astronomically small, but Jay won all three. He was surprised, I was not. He also wrote a widely circulated op-ed about the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and put his words into action by helping make Duke… read more about Life, Luck, and Laughter »
From Duke Today: Duke University senior Emma Campbell-Mohn of Westport, Connecticut, has been selected for the first class of Schwarzman Scholars and will study for one year at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Campbell-Mohn is among the first 100 recipients, out of 3,054 applicants, chosen for this scholarship. The Schwarzman Scholarship gives scholars the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a funded one-year master’s degree in public policy, economics or international studies. Scholars… read more about Political Science undergrad awarded international scholarship »
After one full year and 2,306 submitted photos, Duke community members from across campus and the globe have thoroughly shared the way they see Duke. Dec. 31 marked the end of “Document Duke 360,” a yearlong, crowd-sourced project that invited students, employees and alumni to contribute to an ongoing visual conversation about Duke. From Durham to China, 194 photographers had their work selected as a “photo of the day” while nearly 1,500 people followed daily posts on the Document Duke 360 Instagram account.“When… read more about Year Long Document Duke Project Complete »
To ask candidates to explain what they would do in the abstract is thus only to give them the opportunity to explain what they would do if they were omnipotent, an absolute ruler able to do anything he or she wished. Such questions only give Americans the opportunity to live for a moment in the dream of a world populated by people just like them. What question then should real journalists ask? There is really only one, and they should ask it over and over and insist upon an answer, interrupting candidates when they… read more about Here's the question journalists should ask of candidates - Michael Gillespie »
... the other side wins if this is viewed as Muslims versus the West. So while that is how the terrorists view it and that is the rhetoric, we have to be careful not to reinforce that rhetoric. Continue reading here read more about Peter Feaver interviewed for The Huffington Post on Obama's strategic relations »
Aaron Roberts, a recent Duke Ph.D., published in The Review of Politics. Roberts' research interests concern the intersection of contemporary, normative political theory and the history of political thought. “Political theology” is now a fixture within political theory's lexicon. Although Carl Schmitt's Political Theology (1922) is identified as the contemporary locus classicus for the concept, that work's primary task is only to elaborate a “sociology of juristic… read more about Carl Schmitt—Political Theologian? - Aaron Roberts »
The Laboratory for Unconventional Conflict Analysis and Simulation (LUCAS) sponsored Duke students to present their research at the International Studies Association Midwest division held their annual conference held on 19 to 22 November, 2015, in St. Louis, Missouri. Students from Political Science, Asia and Middle East Studies, International Comparative Studies, and Dr. Rivera’s Public Policy course on Iranian Grand Strategy, participated on two LUCAS sponsored panels. The first panel focused on Iran and Hizb’allah’s… read more about Duke students dominate annual International Studies Association Midwest Conference »
What accounts for low-intensity intergroup violence? Laia Balcells explores this question, focusing on the case of Northern Ireland, in new research available here and a summary here. Overall, our micro-level study of contemporary interethnic violence in Northern Ireland suggests that segregation and physical separation of groups is generally not a solution to ethnic violence. By impeding regular interaction, segregation worsens intergroup trust and increases threat perceptions. Threat perceptions… read more about The determinants of low-intensity intergroup violence - Laia Balcells »
Jay Ruckelshaus, who majors in Political Science, and Laura Roberts, who minors in Political Science, both won Rhodes Scholarships this year. According to DukeToday, they were chosen "from among 869 applicants at 316 colleges and universities throughout the country, and are the 44th and 45th students in Duke's history to receive a Rhodes Scholarship." Duke's Political Science faculty were overjoyed to hear their students' acclaim. And two faculty, who taught and mentored Jay and Laura, have these… read more about Two Duke Political Science students win Rhodes Scholarships »
The Society for Empirical Legal Studies is an "international organization of scholars interested in empirical legal studies." Their annual conference was launched in 2006, "in response to the growing level of empirical scholarship in laws schools and elsewhere." Professor Matthew McCubbins is part of the inaugural class of SELS Fellows 2015-2016. McCubbins is perhaps best known for the argument that legislative majorities, whether they be the dominant legislative party or a coalition parties… read more about Professor McCubbins elected as a Fellow of the Society of Empirical Legal Studies »
POLSCI 101 at Duke University provides a broad introduction to politics from the local to the global level. We will explore empirical analysis and political philosophy to understand the relationship between politics, law, and economics--and other fundamental and timely questions in political life, such as: What is the nature of power and how is it related to authority, legitimacy, and ethics? What is a state? And are we experiencing the rise of serious competitors to the modern state as the dominant form of political… read more about New Undergraduate Course - Introduction to Political Science »
No matter how much we degrade ISIS, there will always be far-flung people with sufficient interest in attacking us, and the capability to do so.Terrorism has been their preferred method precisely because it is comparatively easy to pull off. Those who are quick to advocate more force on its own would do well to remember this, and the lessons of history. Continue Reading Here read more about "A Better Way to Deal with ISIS" - David Siegel »
Taught by Professor of Political Science, Joseph Grieco, this course addresses an important question about world affairs: are governments and their respective societies making progress in building a more peaceful and just global order? To pursue this question the course will have three main sections. The first will demonstrate that the question of international progress is driving important contemporary debates about foreign policy and world affairs, and has long commanded the attention of writers in the fields of… read more about New Undergraduate Course - Are Things Getting Better? The Question of Progress in World Affairs »
A group of researchers and research users took a hard look at campaign survey and opinion research at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center this morning. Sunshine Hillygus, professor at Duke University, Margie Omero, managing director of Purple Insights, Neil Newhouse, partner and cofounder of Public Opinion Strategies, and Amy Walter, national editor for the Cook Political Report, came together to discuss the future of polling and advancements in political campaign technology. Continue Reading Here (Marketing… read more about Professor Sunshine Hillygus serves on polling technologies panel, hosted by Microsoft »
So what’s the mistake I’ve been making for most of my life? I’ve been trying to defend the perfection of markets. I’ve been sucked in to the notion that markets are “ideal”: “Markets aren’t so bad!” “Consumers are generally better off!” and so on. Friends, if you have been defending the perfection of markets you have been played for a sap. Stop it. Read More at Learn Liberty read more about Every Flaw in Consumers Is Worse in Voters - Michael Munger »
"When Trump ends his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, what will experts say about his foreign policy legacy?"...... Continue Reading Here read more about "Trump’s Foreign-Policy Legacy: Not Having a Foreign Policy" - Peter Feaver »
House Republicans may indeed convince Ryan to run for speaker – a job the 2012 vice presidential nominee said he would take only if he had the support of all the chamber's GOP factions. But even that will not settle the internal battles or make Ryan the head of the party, says Duke University political scientist David Rohde. "They'll go along with him becoming speaker. That doesn't mean they'll go to where he wants to lead the party," Rohde said. Read More Here read more about "Who Speaks for the GOP?" - David Rohde consulted for U.S. News & World Report »
"...I called up Duke University's Michael Munger, a political science professor and head of the school's Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program to chat about what a Biden candidacy might look like. Munger gave me his thoughts on what America's avuncular VP might have done if he'd been handed the keys to the Oval Office...." Read More Here read more about President Joe Biden? - Vice News interviews Michael Munger »
David Sparks graduated from Duke with a Ph.D. in Political Science. While he was a graduate student he practiced statistical modeling on basketball data sets - he is now the Director of Basketball Analytics for the Boston Celtics. He returned to his alma mater recently to talk with undergrads about their career goals and how statistical competence played such an important role for him on the job market. And he is among a few uniquely qualified to discuss the history of statistical modeling in the NBA. read more about Director of Basketball Analytics for the Boston Celtics returns to Alma Mater »
Anoop Sadanandan, assistant professor at the Maxwell School of Public Affairs, Syracuse University and Duke Ph.D. (2011), returned to campus to present his current research. "Ethnic minorities face a dilemma: should they retain their cultural uniqueness or assimilate into the dominant cultural group? Studies argue that factors such as the strength of ethnic affinities, the group size, and migration influence individual and group decisions to differentiate and assimilate. This talk moves in a different direction to… read more about Anoop Sadanandan presents research at his alma mater, Duke »
Thomas J. Christensen is William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War and Director of the China and the World Program at Princeton University. From 2006-2008 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. His research and teaching focus on China’s foreign relations, the international relations of East Asia, and international security. Before arriving at Princeton in 2003, he taught at… read more about "China's Rise and Deterrence Theory" - Princeton's Thomas Christensen presents research at Duke »
Dan Lipinksi is a Duke Political Science Alumus and current U.S. Representative for Illinois 3rd Congressional District. He returned to the Department of Political Science to share what years of congressional service has taught him. read more about Congressman returns to alma mater Duke to share what years of congressional service has taught him »
As a Political Science major, who participated in the Duke in Russia Summer 2014 program, I strongly encourage other students in the department to take advantage of the study abroad opportunities that Duke offers. As Duke students we like to think of ourselves as open to views different from our own, but how can we truly know unless we actively expose ourselves to other cultures? Studying abroad in Russia, where the customs, the people, the language, the food, and just about everything else are completely different from… read more about Lili Ramirez in Russia »
The six weeks I spent in Geneva as a part of the Duke in Geneva program offered some of the most eye-opening and rewarding experiences of my life. Although I had been out of the country before, this was the first time I had ever visited Europe or spent an extended period of time abroad. One of the most memorable moments of my trip was hiking in the Alps with our program directors—an experience that embodies the challenges I faced and the worth of it all. I believe that our weekend hiking trip in the Alps is analogous to the… read more about Seth Johnson in Geneva »
This short documentary highlights a few participant voices in the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute experience. The APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) was founded in 1986 to enhance diversity within the discipline of political science. Named in honor of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former APSA President, Ralph J. Bunche, the RBSI program goal is to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to pursue academic careers in political science. read more about 2015 RBSI Interviews and Photographs »
The 2015 RBSI program concluded with an evening banquet at Parizade. The evening helped hallmark the conclusion of the RBSI program for the students and staff, providing the organizers a moment to celebrate the student's successful completion of the program. The President of the American Political Science Association, Rodney Hero, attended and provided final remarks and advice for the students. Perhaps most exciting for the students, the evening concluded with Dr. McClain providing the students their final grades and… read more about President of the American Political Science Association, Rodney Hero, addresses Duke hosted RBSI Institute »
Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, delivered an address to Duke University Department of Political Science faculty and graduating undergrads and Master's program students on May 10, 2015. He spoke of the relationship between goodwill political ambassadorship and sports. Adam received our Distinguished Alumni Award. read more about Adam Silver speaks at Department Commencement Ceremony »