Political Science News

Gadarian weighs in on Trump's recall of federal employees in US News

"What this is doing is to try and get the public to not notice, to smooth over some of the bumps we'll see if the shutdown continues much longer,"says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science. Gadarian was interviewed for the U.S. News & World Report article "Faced With Bad Optics, Trump Recalls Workers."

McDowell paper on China's bilateral swap agreements published

"The (Ineffective) Financial Statecraft of China's Bilateral Swap Agreements," written by Daniel McDowell, was published in Development and Change as part of a special issue titled, "Beyond Bretton Woods: Complementarity and Competition in the International Economic Order"

PhD student Uğur Altundal cited in Newsweek article on passports

Research by Uğur Altundal, a PhD student in political science at the Maxwell School, was cited in the Newsweek article "Ranked: The World's Least Powerful Passports in 2019." "Despite the important progress made in overall global mobility," Altundal and co-author Omer Zarpli write, "there remains a significant ‘global mobility divide’, with some passports much more powerful than others."

Elizabeth Cohen quoted in PolitiFact article on ICE arrests for murder

Elizabeth Cohen helps PolitiFact debunk a Facebook post that claims that in 2017, ICE arrested 2,000 undocumented immigrants for murder. The 2,028 figure "does not refer to 2,028 suspected or convicted criminals," says Cohen. "It refers to how many times a conviction or suspicion was the reason for arrest. If one person was suspected of five separate crimes, that would contribute five separate times to the overall tally in that table."

Taylor weighs in on Whelan spy case on Australia's ABC radio

Brian Taylor was interviewed on Australia's ABC radio regarding the detention of former US Marine Paul Whelan in Russia. "At the moment I would lean towards an explanation that has much more to do with what's going on in terms of the FSB [Federal Security Service] . . . rather than some massive plot organized by the Russian government."

Zoli analyzes immigration debate on WAER

Corri Zoli, research assistant professor of political science, was interviewed on WAER for the segment "SU National Security Researcher Takes Fact-Based Approach to Charged Immigration Debate." Zoli says the political dynamics on both sides are counter-productive to arriving at a more permanent solution for the southern border.

Sezgin awarded NEH fellowship to study democratization of Islamic laws

Yüksel Sezgin has received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowship, supporting research into the complex interplay between democracy and Muslim Family Laws (MFLs) in non-uslim-majority countries. He will use the $60,000 fellowship to work on a book-length comparative study of the democratization of Islamic laws in Greece, Ghana, India and Israel.

Sezgin quoted in Washington Times article on Shariah law, Greek courts

Yüksel Sezgin was interviewed for the Washington Times article "Muslim widow caught between Sharia law, Greek courts in legal drama." "For a long time, it was in the interests of the Greek government to maintain Shariah for the Turkish-speaking minority because it emphasized their religious identity more than their ethnic and linguistic [Turkish] identity,” says Sezgin.

Taylor's Code of Putinism makes War on the Rocks 2018 reading list

Brian Taylor's recently published book, The Code of Putinism (Oxford University Press, 2018), appears on the 2018 War on the Rocks Holiday Reading List. The book is described as "an essential guide for understanding Russian decision making beyond mere cable news talking points."

Reeher weighs in on Bloomberg run in 2020 in The Hill

Grant Reeher spoke with The Hill about former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg's potential run for president as a Democrat in 2020. "The question is, Can he walk into a diner in Iowa and connect with voters?" Reeher says. "It might be a challenge."

Keck provides insight on court-packing battles to come in Wash Post

"The new Democratic majority in the House spells big trouble for President Trump," says Thomas Keck. "But it also could be the first step in unmaking his longer legacy, particularly when it comes to the Supreme Court." Read more in Keck's article "The Supreme Court justices control whether court-packing ever happens," published in the Washington Post.

Is Trumpism coming to an end? Reeher discusses in Washington Monthly

Grant Reeher was interviewed for the Washington Monthly article "The Midterms Were Not the Beginning of the End of Trumpism." "Polarization is many decades in the making and won’t go away with Trump,” says Reeher. "He’s merely exacerbated it."

Maxwell's first-ever Huxley scholar has found her intellectual home

From the moment Brielle Valenza stepped foot in the Maxwell Auditorium as a first-year student, she knew she had come to the right place. "The sense of history in that room is palpable."

Reeher quoted in Democrat &Chronicle article on House Dems, Trump

Grant Reeher was interviewed for the Democrat & Chronicle article "U.S. Congress: How Democrats will fight Trump with fellow New Yorkers." "If there are going to be deals between the House of Representatives and the president, one of the main places will be in the budget, so the appropriations committee will have a big role," Reeher says.

Barkun writes about failed prophecies, Trump in Foreign Policy

"Failed Prophecies Won’t Stop Trump’s True Believers," written by Professor Emeritus Michael Barkun, was published in Foreign Policy. Barkun discusses how conspiracy theorists are bringing apocalyptic beliefs into the political mainstream and examines the willingness of people to stay loyal to their beliefs even in the face of a world that contradicts them.

Bybee discusses post-election well-being with Thrive Global

Keith Bybee was interviewed for the Thrive Global article "5 Ways To Prioritize Your Well-Being After the Election." No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, accept your temporary defeats and get involved in local or national affairs, says Bybee. Studies indicate that volunteering — participating in a cause greater than yourself — is a surefire way to boost your well-being.

Reeher discusses impact of Dems winning NY State Senate in AP

Democratic lawmakers, Grant Reeher says, "have already made pledges to constituents about what their agenda will be. Now it’s real. I think the governor is going to be put in the position of applying the brakes on some of these things." Read more in the Associated Press article "NY Senate win gives Democrats a lock on Albany. So now what?"

Gadarian weighs in on Dem House win, Mueller probe in WFAA article

Shana Gadarian spoke with WFAA about what the Democratic win in the House means for the Mueller investigation. "All of this language about fake news and ‘you can’t trust the FBI,’ all of that is setting up a scenario where the Mueller investigation comes out and (Trump) says ‘it’s not to be believed’ and that Mueller is just working for the Democrats."

Griffiths paper on independence referendum in New Caledonia published

Ryan Griffiths, associate professor of political science, discusses the recent binding referendum on independence in New Caledonia in his article "New Caledonia Vote Shows Difficulty of Winning Independence, And Lessons for Others," published in the International Peace Institute's Global Observatory.

Gadarian discusses negative political ads on WRVO

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, was interviewed for the WRVO segment "Negative political ads up 60 percent from 2014, but can engage, inform voters." "You actually learn more from negative ads than you do from positive ads because they do tend to focus more on policy and votes," says Gadarian.

Keck talks about grassroots voting efforts with WRVO

Thomas Keck was interviewed for the WRVO segment "Anger over Trump presidency pushing more grassroots voting efforts." "Often grassroots organizing on the left doesn’t have much of an electoral focus. Right? And this year there is a lot of an electoral focus," says Keck. "I think that is new and distinctive and that is going to impact the elections."

Reeher discusses NY midterm elections with regional media outlets

Grant Reeher was interviewed by several regional media outlets about the 2018 midterm elections in New York State. "If there was a year in which I'd be suspicious of polling numbers, this would be it,” Reeher told CNY Central. "The reason is that the models of likely voters have to come from somewhere, and usually they use previous midterms. 2018 is nothing like 2014."

Reeher weighs in on impact of Obama on midterm elections in The Hill

Grant Reeher was quoted in The Hill article "The Memo: Obama makes midterm push to protect legacy." "Is it going to help? Yes. Is it going to help a lot? I don’t think so, given the country is so polarized," says Reeher. "But it could help get people who would vote Democratic anyway to actually turn up."

Gadarian talks about negative political ads on Spectrum News

Shana Gadarian was interviewed on Spectrum News for the segment "So You Don't Like Negative Ads? So Why Do They Work on You?" "People don't tend to like negative ads," says Gadarian, "but one of the things we know about negative ads is they have more policy information than positive ads which tend to be more about the candidate's background.

Stonecash quoted in Politico article on divide in the Democratic Party

Jeffrey Stonecash was interviewed for the Politico article "The Democrats’ Culture Divide." The highly educated, richer professionals of the Democratic Party "are aware they are building barriers around who succeeds and who doesn’t," says Stonecash. "A lot of people disparage all of this, but a lot of white guilt is built around the fact that the world can be unfair."

Zoli speaks with Spectrum News about political terrorism

Corri Zoli, research assistant professor of political science, was interviewed for the Spectrum News segment "Are Recent Suspicious Packages an Act of Political Terrorism?" "This is the problem with polarization," says Zoli. "You get these kind of escalating dynamics...clearly this is an expression of partisanship gone awry."

Elizabeth Cohen defines sanctuary areas in PolitiFact article

Elizabeth Cohen was quoted in the PolitiFact article "Senate Leadership Fund distorts Heidi Heitkamp's record on immigration." According to Cohen, "The one common theme to sanctuary areas is not that they release criminals onto the streets, but that they will not do the work that is the responsibility of the federal enforcement agencies."

Thorson discusses how Trump responds to difficult questions on NPR

Emily Thorson was a guest on NPR's Morning Edition for the segment "When Asked About Missing Journalist, Trump Cites Saudi King's Denial." "My sense is that he's relying on some stock phrases that he pulls out again and again, especially when he's called on to make a statement about an issue that perhaps he hasn't done a lot of research on," says Thorson.

Reeher weighs in on the Kavanaugh Effect in Reforma

Grant Reeher was interviewed for the Reforma article "The Kavanaugh Effect." "The general impulse seems to favor the conservative/republican mood... But the Democrats have recruited many women who are competing for competitive seats...and the confirmation of Kavanaugh could help the Democratic candidates in places that count," says Reeher.

Gadarian weighs in on the Kavanaugh Effect in USA Today

"It was just another, additional piece of evidence for Democratic voters and particularly Democratic women that ... women are not valued as much as men and they aren't to be believed, and they don't matter," says Shana Gadarian. She was interviewed for the USA Today article "Gender wars: Women were driving the midterms for Democrats. Can a backlash boost the GOP?"

Thorson weighs in on Trump attacks, NFL ratings in USA Today

According to Emily Thorson, it's difficult to separate non-football issues — such as politics, concussions, cord-cutting and other unknown factors — from the events on the field. As much as we may want a single explanation, the truth is a combination of factors are at play, she says. Thorson was interviewed for the USA Today article "In NFL ratings, good football trumps politics."

Gueorguiev discusses China's Nat'l Supervisory Comm'n in the Guardian

Dimitar Gueorguiev, assistant professor of political science, was quoted in the Guardian article "Former Interpol chief 'held in China under new form of custody." "Meng’s arrest seems like a powerful demonstration of China’s commitment to rooting out corruption, even when it can cost them the directorship of an important international vehicle," says Gueorguiev.

Taylor discusses Code of Putinism in Virginia Gazette

Brian Taylor was interviewed for the Virginia Gazette article "Putinism can be managed, for now." When asked to explain the essence of The Code of Putinism, Taylor says "It is the mentality of Putin and his closest and most influential associates. It guides the political decisions that shape the political and economic system, domestic and foreign policy."

Reeher discusses GOP, midterms, Kavanaugh in The Hill

Grant Reeher was interviewed for The Hill article "The Memo: GOP risks disaster with Kavanaugh, midterms." "The emotions surrounding this have been extremely high, and most Republicans are on record already showing they wanted to go forward with a vote," says Reeher. "Those things can’t be walked back."

Gadarian discusses female political candidates on Capitol Pressroom

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, breaks down the hurdles that women face when running for office and why so many female candidates are running this cycle on WCNY's Capitol Pressroom.

Maxwell’s QDR receives NSF grant to facilitate ethical data sharing

Colin Elman, professor of political science and co-director of the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), has received a $299,787 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the construction of socio-technical infrastructure to facilitate the safe sharing of sensitive qualitative research data.

Elman among Algemeiner's top 100 positive influencers on Jewish life

Miriam Elman, associate professor of political science, was named by the Algemeiner as one of the top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life in 2018. Watch the video announcing the awardees and read more about the annual "J100" list in the Algemeiner article "The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2018."

D'Amico receives 2018 James Duah-Agyeman Award for Faculty

In recognition of her "service, dedication, and commitment," Francine D'Amico, teaching professor of international relations, was awarded the 2018 James Duah-Agyeman Award for Faculty from the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Syracuse University.

Griffiths quoted in Bloomberg article on separatism, Quebec

Ryan Griffiths, associate professor of political science, was interviewed for the Bloomberg article "Sorry Catalans, even Quebec is sidestepping separatism this year." According to Griffiths, separatist aspirations are "alive and kicking" elsewhere in the world, including Catalonia.

Boroujerdi quoted in Spiegel article on US sanctions on Iran

Mehrzad Boroujerdi spoke with the German newspaper Spiegel for the article "A country is running out of money." "The situation will continue to deteriorate until they [Iran] realize that they need to negotiate with the US again," says Boroujerdi.

Reeher comments on NY Democratic primary in Reuters article

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, was interviewed for the Reuters article "Victorious Cuomo confronts changing Democratic landscape." "One of the things I’ve been most struck by is how the reaction to Trump has so deeply affected state-level contests, even at the district level," says Reeher.

Lovely cited in Washington Post article on US-China trade war

Mary Lovely's research on tariffs was referenced in the Washington Post article "Why China could withstand the trade war far longer than Trump thinks." According to Lovely, most of the tariffs that have been imposed have hit U.S. companies, not the Chinese. She found, for example, that 87 percent of the computer and electronics parts subject to Trump’s levies were produced by by non-Chinese multinationals, including American companies.

Thompson quoted in AP article on Papal summit on clergy sex abuse

"Where are the laity and others who might provide both new and uncomplicit voices and insights into the process?" asks Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science. Read more in the Associated Press article "Pope OKs probe into US bishop as he meets with US delegation."

Keck discusses SCOTUS nominee hearings on WRVO

Tom Keck, professor of political science and Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, was interviewed on WRVO's Campbell Conversations regarding Brett Kavanaugh's nomination hearings. Keck discusses the competing arguments being made regarding the confirmation process, and the nominee himself.

Taylor featured in Newsweek article on strengthening Russia-China ties

Brian Taylor weighs in on Russia’s growing relationship with China in the Newsweek article "China's Role in Russia's Largest War Games Shows Beijing-Moscow Ties Are Strengthening, Experts Say." "...Chinese participation in Russia’s military exercises suggests that greater security collaboration is also being explored," says Taylor.

Reeher weighs in on upcoming NY gubernatorial primary in Newsday

"The inference would be that he’s more worried about this one," says Grant Reeher about the $16 million [Governor] Cuomo has spent, largely on TV ads championing the economy and his liberal achievements. Read more in the Newsday article "Cuomo-Nixon: Latest battle for control of the Democratic Party."

Maxwell announces new faculty members, program chair

The academic year begins at the Maxwell School with the arrival of several new faculty members. In addition, Renée de Nevers, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, is the new chair of the Social Science Doctoral Program.

D'Amico elected to National Model UN Board of Directors

Francine D'Amico, teaching professor of international relations, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of National Model United Nations (NMUN). D'Amico previously served as a member of the NY Advisory Group of NMUN and is currently a member of the DC Advisory Group until her term ends in November.

Pralle research cited in Acadiana Advocate article on flood insurance

Sarah Pralle's research on flood mapping under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was referenced in the Acadiana Advocate article "FEMA to require new flood insurance on thousands of Lafayette Parish properties."

Taylor's Code of Putinism reviewed in Washington Times

"If books were sold by the pound, Brian Taylor’s slender, concise volume on Russia under Vladimir Putin would be overpriced," says the author of the Washington Times article "Why 'Putinism' may last but can't succeed." "With only 209 pages of actual text, it is a fraction of the length of many windier, weightier academic books that say more while telling us less."

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