Department of Political Science

"In recent years, some climate groups have resorted to disruptive action to focus public attention on climate policy lethargy. Activists have thrown tomato soups on paintings in prominent museums, blocked trains and major highways, picketed oil terminals, and glued themselves to the floor of BMW showrooms. So, why not escalate disruption by attacking fossil fuel infrastructure?" write the UW's Nives Dolsak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

A day after the Republican-dominated Tennessee House voted to expel two Black legislators for interrupting a floor session, Democrats next door in Georgia gathered on Zoom. While the two Tennessee Democrats are now back in their seats, lawmakers in other parts of the country worry the debacle over decorum may foreshadow what's to come in their own state legislatures. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

A Supreme Court ruling on Friday ensured the abortion pill mifepristone can still be purchased and used in the U.S., freezing a lower court ruling that would've effectively banned access to the pill. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

In 1932, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis applauded the role of experimentation within the states, calling them "laboratories of democracy" that could inspire reforms at the national level. Today, that dynamic is inverted, as some red states have become laboratories of authoritarianism, experimenting with the autocratic playbook in ways that could filter up to the federal government. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is mentioned.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is facing renewed scrutiny, but don't expect the lifetime appointee to face any real repercussions, experts said. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

"Republican leaders are now adopting increasingly autocratic measures, using the police powers of government to impose moralized regulations, turning private citizens into enforcement officers and expelling defiant elected Democrats just as county Republican parties, particularly in Western states, are electing militia members, Christian nationalists and QAnon believers to key posts," writes New York Times columnist Thomas B. Edsall. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

One of two Black Democratic legislators expelled by the Republican-controlled Tennessee House said, "what the nation is seeing is that we don't have a democracy in Tennessee." Chillingly, data offers some support for that contention. Jake Grumbach, associate professor of political science at the UW, is mentioned.

The indictment of former President Trump isn't just about an individual but about the office of the presidency, and what the country is willing to accept from its leaders, say University of Washington political scientists James Long and Victor Menaldo,

The indictment of a former president of the U.S., Donald Trump, is history happening in real time. The Conversation asked the UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo to help readers understand the meaning of this moment in the U.S.

Former President Donald Trump may be the first U.S. president to face criminal charges, but he's hardly alone on the global stage. Plenty of other democracies have prosecuted their current or former leaders. James D. Long, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Attend lectures, performances and more.

Start the new year with lectures, performances, and more.

Anthony Gill, a UW political science professor, argues in a new paper that gift-giving has long-term positive effects for society and the economy, regardless of what you buy.

University of Washington political science professor Anthony Gill explains the social and economic value of gift-giving — and how even unwanted gifts help promote trust and build relationships.

In honor of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, deepen your learning in American Indian studies, make connections on campus, and celebrate the work of the University of Washington Seattle's College of Arts & Sciences faculty, staff, students and alumni.