Department of Political Science

New research quantifies the health of democracy at the state level — and Republican-governed states tend to perform much worse. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

This week at the UW, attend a meditation session, attend Curating in Conversation: A Panel Series on Sharing Northwest Native Art and Art History with the Public, and more.

After Georgia Republicans experienced the shocking setback of losing the state’s presidential election, the party descended into bitter internal recriminations. But all Republicans heartily agree on next steps: a sweeping bill curtailing voting rights and handing new powers to Republican legislators to prevent the events of 2020 and 2021 from happening again. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Over 100 UW graduate and professional programs have been ranked by U.S. News & World Report to be among the top 35 in the nation.

This week at the UW, attend the Kollar Symposium in American Art History: Legacies and Futures, Music of Today: Indigo Mist, and more.

According to campaign finance records, many of the same people charged in the Capitol riot sent their own money to Trump’s reelection campaign. Even after his loss in November, they threw their cash behind his efforts to challenge the election as he touted the lie that it had been stolen. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

“Creating and maintaining water infrastructure is expensive. Because governments work with limited budgets, they ration money to extend or improve infrastructure. And because water access is critical to human existence, politicians have control over a valuable resource," write Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, and Sijeong Lim of Korea University in Seoul.

Aseem Prakash, Walker Family Professor of Political Science and the founding director of the Center of Environmental Politics, explains the importance of access to safe water sources.

USA Today examines coverage of COVID-19 in college newspapers. UW Daily staff Jake Goldstein-Street and Mac Murray are quoted.

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.