Michael A. Smith
Bernie Goldwater: What Sanders Supporters Can Learn from Young Americans for Freedom
Supporters were crestfallen, but their resolve was firm. Their candidate had refused to buckle to the pressure from party elite—the usual pressure from political managers, to move to the political center and tone down strong rhetoric, seeking to enlist the support of middle-of-the-road voters and…
If Political Science Ruled the World (and We Were on Our Best Behavior)
Once, as a graduate student at the University of Missouri, I wisecracked, "the entire world should be turned over to political scientists for experimental purposes." I was joking and everyone knew it... but I never lived down that moment. The world should not be turned over to political scientists…
Political Science: The Final Frontier
Can science fiction teach us about political institutions? A group of political scientists says yes. James Endersby of the University of Missouri-Columbia is spearheading a project with several of his former students, now colleagues, to show how science fiction illustrates the importance of…
Sir Edmund and Hillary: A Surprisingly Likely Pair
Mainstream political scientists often struggle with the subfield called political theory.…
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…
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…
#MPSA16-- Is Political Science Still Relevant?
I
t is only 35 minutes from the Palmer House to 4100 S. Pulaski Road.
Downtown Chicago’s ornate Palmer House hotel…