Advancing Citizenship and Public Leadership

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

Tanner Lecture We Matter with Etan Thomas

Through rigorous scholarship, debate and public engagement, the Campbell Institute examines contemporary challenges in democratic governance—particularly, the idea of citizenship, its evolution and the conditions under which it thrives.

Faculty from the fields of political science and public administration, along with historians, philosophers, anthropologists and public health scholars among others, study the relationship among leaders, citizens, private organizations and governments in an effort to understand and promote effective public management and policy, and encourage civic involvement.

Students benefit from an enriched learning experience by assisting faculty in their research, participating in live events and engaging with guest speakers.

Upcoming Lecture

Person with glasses and a beard, wearing a blue shirt, smiling and standing in front of a blurred city background.

Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Social Science

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with Miklós Sebők, a pioneering international scholar who developed a no-code LLM platform for studying international politics across twenty languages.

April 1, 2025

Featured Research

View All Campbell Publications

"Private Selves as Public Property: Black Women’s Self-Making in the Contemporary Moment" Jenn Jackson shows how Black women have resisted the fungibility of their bodies through processes of self-formation and self-reclamation and how that resistance might help us understand Black women’s social and political life worlds today.

Public Culture, 2020

Read the abstract.

"To Appeal and Amend: Changes to Recently Updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps" In this article, Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science, and her co-author examine whether there are discernible trends or patterns in alterations to Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 2021

Read the abstract.

Building Robust and Ethical Vaccination Verification Systems

Johannes Himmelreich and his co-authors propose guidelines for deploying vaccine record verification (V.R.V.) systems that align with vaccine prioritization decisions; uphold fairness and equity; and are built on trustworthy technology.

The Brookings Institution, 2021

Read the introduction.

See all books by Campbell faculty

Campbell Institute faculty publish award-winning books on a wide range of topics. View a sample of recently published works, or visit the Maxwell School Faculty Bookshelf for more.

The Invented State: Policy Misperceptions in the American Public

Emily Thorson

Oxford University Press, 2024

Federal, Media & Journalism, State & Local

Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism

Jenn M. Jackson

Penguin Random House, 2024

Black, Gender and Sex, Social Justice, United States

rasmussen-dennis-the-constitutions-penman

The Constitution’s Penman: Gouverneur Morris and the Creation of America’s Basic Charter

Dennis Rasmussen

University Press of Kansas, 2023

Government, United States

Robert Shetterly and Associate Dean Gladys McCormick

‘Americans Who Tell the Truth’ Artist Shares Stories Behind His Portraits

Robert Shetterly visited the Maxwell School recently to talk about his portrait series, a sampling of which is on display in the foyer.

Maxwell Professor Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows

Baobao Zhang has received up to $200K to research the role of citizens in the governance of artificial intelligence systems.

A panel of experts speak in the Maxwell Auditorium

Campbell Forum Examines Recent Executive Orders and the Separation of Powers

A panel of scholars recently delved into the power of the presidency, the role of the courts and the rule of law.

Shana Kushner Gadarian Is Named a 2021 Carnegie Fellow

Gadarian, professor of political science and senior research associate with the Campbell Institute, is the 3rd Maxwell faculty member to earn this prestigious research award in four years.

Lecture Series

Campbell's lecture series bring together people with a diverse range of perspectives and interests to open dialogue, foster understanding and give the power of knowledge.

Bantle Symposium on Business and Government Policy

Campbell Debates

Campbell Lectures

Phanstiel Lecture Series on Leadership

State of Democracy Lecture Series

Tanner Lecture Series on Ethics, Citizenship and Public Responsibility

State of Democracy Lecture with Mayor Miner in full Maxwell Auditorium

Campbell Conversation Spotlight

You probably know the name James Garfield, but how much else do you know about him, and why might he and his political times be relevant to considering today’s political landscape? Host Grant Reeher interviews C. W. Goodyear, a historian who has written a new definitive biography of him. His book is titled President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier.

December 9, 2023

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