Department of Political Science

“The choice of Garland is a good indication — both for better and for worse — of what can be expected of a Biden administration: competent governance that is more moderate than the progressive wing of the Democratic Party would prefer,” writes Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW.

As the mob scenes of Trump supporters rioting at the U.S. Capitol unfolded, so did conversations about another familiar scene — from Black Lives Matters events. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

Mark Smith, professor of political science at the UW, puts the rioting at the U.S. Capitol in historical context and calls it an attempted coup.

“Might a singular focus on zero emissions lead to the neglect of climate adaptation policies that have less media appeal? As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, climate policy should pay attention to two important but neglected issues: how the electric car industry will source inputs — such as copper, cobalt, nickel and lithium — and, because climate change is already underway, how prepared countries and cities are to adapt to different dimensions of climate change,” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

College of Arts & Sciences Dean Stacey explains that there is an important civic, political, social, and cultural element to an education and that you can get that in a wide variety of majors.

Department of Statistics faculty are featured in this article about their COVID-19 research.

Through hours of Zoom meetings, University of Washington vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor found himself nervously folding paper off screen. As he helped the university make high-stakes decisions about its pandemic future, his fingers kept busy shaping origami cranes. Taylor's collection of about 300 cranes tells the story of how he coped with this year, and they will constitute his entry to a virtual time capsule, the culmination of a class he led called "2020: The Course." Taylor; Kate Starbird, UW associate professor of human centered design and engineering; Theodore Myhre, UW assistant teaching professor of law; and Iisaaksiichaa Ross Braine, the UW’s tribal liaison, are quoted. Hilary Godwin, dean of the UW School of Public Health; Dr. Benjamin Danielson, UW clinical professor of pediatrics; Robert Stacey, dean of the UW College of Arts and Sciences; Alexes Harris, UW professor of sociology; Carolyn West, professor of social, behavioral and human sciences at UW Tacoma; and Megan Ming Francis, UW associate professor of political science, are mentioned.

“For [Milton] Friedman, managers are agents who work on behalf of owners: their principals. Because all shareholders want to maximize their return on investments, the Friedman logic goes that managers have a duty to focus solely on profit maximization. Should, then, managers support climate actions in response to stakeholders’ pressure?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW; Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW; and Jennifer Griffin of Loyola University Chicago.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains recent protests by Indian farmers.

“India has enacted new laws that lift restrictions on where and to whom farmers can sell their crops. Why then are Indian farmers protesting instead of celebrating their new economic freedom?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

“[MacKenzie] Scott and [Jeff] Bezos are not impulsive philanthropists. Their advisors have pored over lots of data to identify the beneficiaries. Yet, they fund different causes and organizations. Why so and what does this reveal about their priorities?” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, discusses the differences between MacKenzie Scott's and Jeff Bezos' philanthropic efforts.

Washington state’s Electoral College gave President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes in Olympia today. James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

“President-elect Biden’s July 2020 climate plan outlined a zero emission pledge. States, such as California and Washington, and companies, such as Microsoft and Google, have also announced net-zero emission pledges. But there is a catch,” write the UW’s Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs; Aseem Prakash, professor of political science; and Inhwan Ko, a doctoral student in political science.

Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, comments on the antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, comments on Amazon's Climate Pledge.