Department of Political Science

Columnist Jamelle Bouie writes of Georgia's election legislation, "This is what it looks like when a political party turns against democracy. It doesn’t just try to restrict the vote; it creates mechanisms to subvert the vote and attempts to purge officials who might stand in the way. Georgia is in the spotlight, for reasons past and present, but it is happening across the country wherever Republicans are in control." Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Republicans have systematically undermined a key democratic constituency. Fighting back requires a kind of hardball Democrats aren’t typically willing to play. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is referenced.

“At first glance, prosecuting current or past top officials accused of illegal conduct seems like an obvious decision for a democracy: Everyone should be held accountable and subject to the rule of law ... [But] if the prosecution of past leaders is brought by a political rival, it can lead to a cycle of prosecutorial retaliation,” write the UW's Victor Menaldo, professor of political science; James Long, associate professor of political science; and Morgan Wack, a doctoral student in political science.

“We find that Americans are strongly opposed to detaining migrant children. Separating families is also unpopular, but Republicans and people anxious about cultural change support that policy more than others do,” write Sophia Jordán Wallace, associate professor of political science at the UW, and Chris Zepeda-Millán of the University of California at Los Angeles.

The nation’s first motto was “E pluribus unum.” What does that mean? Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains why the United States will need to expand its transmission capacity.

A nationwide study is delving deep into the beliefs and attitudes of self-described Trump supporters. Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, and his team surveyed hundreds of people in the Make America Great Again movement, both before and after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Republican Party’s most-Trump and pro-Trumpism contingent and the forces in the party pushing its growing radical and antidemocratic tendencies are often not national Republicans, but those at the local and state levels. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Of the two sides in the conflict over India's new farm laws, Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, write, “Neither camp offers any solution to the most crucial challenge: ensuring that the Green Revolution belt farmers grow less rice, which is economically and ecologically problematic.”

There’s a sense of disbelief that a president could foment a riot at the Capitol to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, and yet his party remains reluctant to hold him to account. Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, isn’t the least bit surprised.

“Has a bloc of voters emerged that is not only alien to the American system of governance but toxic to it?” writes columnist Thomas B. Edsall. A study by Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, and Rachel Blum of the University of Oklahoma is quoted.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, says he thinks it's likely that the Senate will acquit former President Trump, but it depends on the evidence presented over the course of the trial.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, talks about why the impeachment trial is unprecedented.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed about what to expect from the impeachment trial.

This week at the UW, join Deborah Willis for the Monsen Photography Lecture, attend the 2021 Critical Issues series, and more.