The authenticity deficit in American politics is very real. But it is not a product of politicians alone. It is a social ill whose perpetrators are also its victims, and vice versa. People astonished at why Sanders and Trump have resonated with huge blocs should look in the mirror and ask when they themselves last sat down with someone who holds an uncomfortable contrary opinion, for an honest dialogue on finding a middle ground. Continue reading here read more about The Authenticity Deficit in Modern Politics - Timur Kuran writes for Cato Unbound »
The Democrats’ reaction was priceless. In effect, they said, “Wait! We didn’t mean to ignore race completely!” David Lewis (R, NCGA-53), co-chair of the redistricting committee appointed by the Republicans, rather gleefully responded: “The only way to make sure race is not predominant is to make sure it is not a factor.” What did the Democrats think was going to happen? Continue reading here (column on page A8) read more about Race to the Bottom - Michael Munger writes column for North State Journal »
In his terrific book, Private Truths, Public Lies:The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification, Timur Kuran writes about the phenomenon he calls “preference falsification”: People tend to hide unpopular views to avoid ostracism or punishment; they stop hiding them when they feel safe. This can produce rapid change: In totalitarian societies like the old Soviet Union, the police and propaganda organizations do their best to enforce preference falsification. Such regimes have… read more about A Trump wave is on the way? Journalist cites Timur Kuran's research »
“One of the things that is so striking is we have turnout rates in these states that’s absolutely tiny,” says political scientist Sunshine Hillygus. “This is where the establishment recognizes that just because Donald Trump wins a percentage of the primary voters in a given state does not at all mean that it’s going to translate in a general election.” Continue reading here read more about Who is going to win Super Tuesday? Sunshine Hillygus interviewed »
Peter Feaver and Bruce Jentleson meet again for another episode of Foreign Exchange a national security and foreign policy debate series. This time, they try to determine and predict Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump's foreign policy positions. Peter Feaver is a professor of political science and public policy. From 2005-07, he was special advisor for Strategic Planning and Institutional Reform in the Bush White House. Bruce Jentleson is a professor of public policy and political science. He was a senior… read more about Foreign Exchange Debate: a new episode available »
The ultimate goal is this balance of power in the Madisonian sense, but we need to account also for a much larger, expansive concept of what counts as power in a more Foucauldian sense....In terms of reasonable accommodations...if we replace the limited frameworks that we tend to use when we think through these issues, like rights and freedom, with this more comprehensive framework, we're necessarily going to have to take into account, a wider range of concerns. And this is going to yield better debates on the issue, where… read more about Madison meets Foucault: Samuel Bagg outlines his dissertation »
“Justice Scalia has anchored the conservative side of the court. Now, with him gone, you have a much divided court, so the stakes are very high for both parties to get that fifth vote,” said Duke professor Kerry Haynie. Watch the WRAL footage here “That Justice Scalia has died before a decision on the appeal has been announced very likely means the General Assembly will be required to redraw new congressional districts and have them approved by the federal court before any election for Congress can take place in… read more about Kerry Haynie interviewed by WRAL and Charlotte Observer about the upcoming Supreme Court nomination battle »
Original source: Duke Today Perhaps the most fundamental action political parties take is to choose their nominees for political office. These nominations are, of course, often hotly contested, and the way the parties choose their nominees is almost as often hotly contested. In fact, contesting the rules of nomination have been a fact of life for American political parties virtually since the Founding. The Democratic-Republican Party (the early form of today’s Democratic Party) and the Federalist Party,… read more about John Aldrich traces the history of the presidential nomination process »
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) began as an interdisciplinary degree program at Oxford in 1924, and ninety years later it has spread to well over a hundred universities around the world as either a major or minor area of study. The original idea was, in part, to provide future civil servants in the United Kingdom with an opportunity to become generalists by exploring public policy through the different lenses of complementary disciplines. Over the past few decades, as PPE made its way to the United… read more about Why PPE? »
Tearful refugees landing on European shores. Terror in Paris, San Bernardino, Beirut, Istanbul and Jakarta. Gruesome calls to action and videos of beheadings in Iraq and Syria. From its financing and recruitment to the catastrophic human rights consequences of its reign of terror, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has commanded global media attention since the “caliphate” was established in June 2014. But according to four experts who spoke at Duke Wednesday about the growing security and refugee crisis, the… read more about Scholars Discuss the Origins, Consequences and Responses to ISIS »
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 »