Winter 2019 Newsletter | Department of Political Science

Letter from the Chair

When I tell someone that I teach Political Science at the University of Washington, the response is usually along the lines of “You must have a lot to talk about!” or “These must be very interesting times for a Political Scientist!” Both are observations are true of course. There is always something to talk about and I have learned a lot from the ‘politics of unusual’ that we are currently experiencing. As an American politics scholar, much of what I have observed has only reinforced the… Read more

Prof. Christopher S. Parker in the Review Symposium, "A Discussion of Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s How Democracies Die"

In a Review Symposium,"A Discussion of Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s How Democracies Die," UW Political Science Professor, Christopher Sebastian Parker, contributes to the discussion of the above titled best-selling book on how democracies can slide into authoritarianism. The core argument of the book suggests that the turn toward authoritarianism does not always occur by coups or revolution, but by the erosion of democratic norms. The authors of the book make a few suggestions of how to… Read more

Interview with Prof. Victor Menaldo about new book Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy

Victor, you and your co-author Michael Albertus have a new book. What is it about? Yes, we examine what happens when authoritarian systems of government transition to democracies. How does this process occur and what are the consequences? For example, since World War II, the outgoing authoritarian regime has drafted the new democratic constitution in over… Read more

Faculty Profile: Assistant Professor Caitlin Ainsley

Assistant Professor Caitlin Ainsley recently joined our department after receiving her Ph.D (and M.A. and B.A.) from Emory University. She grew up in Santa Barbara, California, spending much of her time surfing and playing volleyball before moving to Atlanta, Georgia, for college and graduate school. Forced to find new hobbies with the closest beach now hundreds of miles away, she developed a fascination with states’ management of currency and after a one-year stint at the London School… Read more

Winter Political Science Faculty Panel: Political Corruption in Comparative Perspective

James Long, Susan Whiting, John Wilkerson

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Gowen Hall room 201

In this political age, the term “corruption” is thrown around with increasing frequency. But what is corruption? Aside from the legal conception of “breaking the law,” there is a broader range of insidious behavior and use of political office for self-interested purposes. Join us February 6 from 5:30–7:00 pm for a discussion with Political Science Professors James D. Long, Susan Whiting, and John Wilkerson regarding the global implications of political corruption from a comparative lens.

James D. Long: "Corrupting Democracy: How to Rig an Election in the 21st Century"

Susan Whiting: "Dynamics of Corruption during Xi Jinping's Anti-Corruption Campaign: Evidence from the Grassroots"

John Wilkerson: "Careerism, Electoral Dynamics, and the Decline of Representation in the United States"

Coordinated by Pi Sigma Alpha. The event is free but, given the limited seating capacity, the audience will need to reserve their seats here.

Suzanne Mettler, Cornell University: The Government-Citizen Disconnect

Suzanne Mettler

Friday, February 22, 2019 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Walker-Ames Room (Kane Hall 225)

Nearly all Americans today benefit from assistance from government at some point in their lives, to aid with costs for health care, education, or housing, to name a few, and the average person receives a higher portion of income from federal social policies that ever. Yet, Americans’ attitudes toward government are dismal and have worsened over time. Suzanne Mettler explores this “government-citizen disconnect,” describing the form it takes and probing its causes.

Friday, February 22, 6–7:30pm Walker-Ames Room (Kane Hall 225)

Suzanne Mettler, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Cornell University

*Please join us for a reception prior to the lecture at 5:30pm.

Please RSVP here: http://events.uw.edu/d/2bqg86