Michael A. Smith
Sir Edmund and Hillary: A Surprisingly Likely Pair
Mainstream political scientists often struggle with the subfield called political theory. Otherwise known as normative theory or political philosophy, theory is the study of history, philosophy, and values. It made up the bulk of political science before the data-driven “behavioral revolution”…
Will the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Be a Realigning Election?
In his classic book Dynamics of the Party System, James L. Sundquist developed a theory of how party alignments change around new issues. As a winner-take-all system, (also called “first past the post” or FPTP), the U.S. is hard-wired to have only two dominant parties at a time. However, one party…
Primaries and Caucuses 2016: Experiencing the Energy and Demystifying the Math
INDIANOLA, IA - FEBRUARY 1, 2016: Indianola mayor Kelly Shaw (second from right) and Smith's Emporia State University students at the Iowa caucus. (Photo courtesy: Michael A. Smith) The 2016 Primary/Caucus season started this week in snowy Iowa, and my students and I were there to see it. Eight…
#MPSA16-- Is Political Science Still Relevant?
It is only 35 minutes from the Palmer House to 4100 S. Pulaski Road. Downtown Chicago’s ornate Palmer House hotel will host the 74th annual Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) conference, as it does every spring. Eight miles away, Pulaski Road is where a Chicago police officer fatally…