American Politics

Washington University's faculty in American politics are known for strengths in the study of judicial politics, legislative politics, public opinion, and public policy. The program offers first-rate training in formal theory and positive theories of politics; and has great strengths in comparative politics, where faculty combine theoretical expertise on political institutions, social movements and gender with geographical expertise spanning the regions of the world. The University also has deep expertise in the international political economy and in political philosophy.

Faculty Experts:

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Yunju Nam Assistant Professor of Social Work Yunju Nam is available to comment on social and economic equality, poverty, welfare policy, domestic violence, child welfare, and asset-building policy for the poor. She is particularly interested in the effect of welfare reform on poor children and women. Expertise: welfare, welfare police, domestic violence, child welfare, asset-building policy Direct contact: 314-935-4954 / ynam@gwbmail.wustl.edu

Stephanie Boddie Assistant Professor of Social Work Stephanie Boddie Download Stephanie C. Boddie's research and writing focuses on national and international social policy and planning, faith-based community economic development, nonprofit management, and social service and health care access. She is the co-principal investigator of a citywide study of congregations and their ... Expertise: faith communities, religion, welfare, health care, community development, national and international social policy and planning, faith-based community economic development, … Direct contact: (314) 935-9449 / sboddie@gwbmail.wustl.edu

Iver Bernstein Professor of History in Arts & Sciences Iver Bernstein Download He is the author of "The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War," Oxford University Press. The 1990 book is considered the definite authority on this time in American history. Bernstein was awarded the George Washington Eggleston ... Expertise: 19th-century U.S. history, Civil War, Reconstruction, American political culture Direct contact: (314) 935-5401 / icbernst@wustl.edu

Henry W. Berger Emeritus Professor of History Berger Author of The United States, the PLO, and Stability in the Middle East, Henry Berger focuses on the history of American foreign relations, with particular interest in U.S. relations with the Middle East and Latin America. Berger, who has written on various aspects of U.S. foreign policy in the 20th ... Expertise: 20th-century U.S. history, U.S. foreign policy, Middle East, Latin America, Vietnam War, American labor unions, trade expansion, … Direct contact: (314) 935-8670 / hwberger@wustl.edu

Howard Brick Professor of History in Arts & Sciences Brick Brick is an expert on the history of the United States since 1865, including a special focus on the history of labor, socialist and radical protest movements. His interests include U.S. intellectual, cultural, social and political history. He has written extensively about the relationship of capitalism ... Expertise: protest movements, anti-war demonstrations, 20th-century America, history of labor, socialist and radical movements, disruptive protest since the 1930s, American intellectual, … Direct contact: (314) 935-4251 / hbrick@wustl.edu

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News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Blue-ribbon steering committee drafting international treaty Harris World Law Institute kicks off landmark Crimes Against Humanity Project April 25, 2008 -- The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute of Washington University School of Law announced a two-year project to study the international law regarding crimes against humanity and to draft a multilateral treaty condemning and prohibiting such crimes. Leila Sadat, J.D., the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and director of the Harris Institute, recently convened the first meeting of the project's steering committee.

Is this any way to elect a president? Iowa's special role in primaries may end in 2008, expert suggests Jan. 3, 2008 -- Steven Smith Today's Iowa Caucuses may be the last in which the largely rural, sparsely populated and predominately white conservative Midwestern state exerts such a huge influence on the presidential nomination process, predicts Steven S. Smith, a political expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Faith in Schools? Government should pay for religious schools, regulate what is taught, argues new book. Dec. 17, 2007 -- "Faith in Schools?" is focus of new book by WUSTL's Ian MacMullen. Arguing that democratic principles do not support a strict separation of church and state in educational policy, a new book contends that government has both the responsibility to pay for religious schools and the right to regulate what's taught within them.

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Related News Clips:

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Show More American Politics Clips

Which Genetic Tests are Really Worth Getting? The Wall Street Journal May 1, 2008 -- With Congress poised to eliminate a big barrier to genetic testing for risk of certain diseases, consumers still face challenges in figuring out which ones offer useful information. Despite heavy marketing by some genetic-test makers, the wide use of genetic tests has been held back by a variety of factors, including questions about the tests' usefulness and concerns that results could be used by employers and insurers to discriminate against people. Critics argue that many tests can't accurately identify which people are at risk for various illnesses. WUSTL medical researcher Brian Gage comments. Includes Web links to learn more about genetic testing.

The Vatican on Muslims and Jews U.S. News & World Report online April 30, 2008 -- Article looks at how Pope Benedict XVI is trying to mend fences within the church, with other churches, and with Muslims and Jews. WUSTL religious studies professor Frank Flinn comments.

Negative rhetoric seen beyond campaign trail Associated Press and 58 others April 28, 2008 -- Scorching rhetoric and negative campaigning aren't confined to the long presidential contest. They're spilling over into other segments of public life. "It's partly this environment where we can't let things slide," said Wayne Fields, director of the American Cultural Studies program at WUSTL. "There's big bucks to be made. These former leaders are going to protect their positions of expertise so they can keep selling books and keep getting speaking engagements."

New study advances method to make energy from farm waste Associated Press and 81 others April 17, 2008 -- WUSTL engineers, including WUSTL chemical engineering professor Muthanna Al-Dahhan, using imaging technology have found that vigorous mixing helps microorganisms turn farm waste into alternative energy. The goal is to produce a simple method that farmers can use to treat their waste and generate energy.

Backed patent bill in trouble in U.S. Senate The Guardian (UK) and 10 others April 15, 2008 -- A long-negotiated patent overhaul bill sought by technology companies and opposed by big pharmaceutical makers ran into trouble in the U.S. Senate. Scott Kieff, WUSTL law professor and patent law expert, comments.

A Climate 'Policy Wonk' in the Making NPR Morning Edition April 14, 2008 -- WUSTL junior Kelley Greenman is featured is today's Morning Edition program on climate change with Richard Harris. Greenman is interested in cliimate change policy issues. The story included a segment about an advising appointment with career counselor Karen Morton and Kelley. Includes an audio link to the story.

NASA Spacecraft Fine Tunes Course For Mars Landing ScienceDaily.com and 21 others April 11, 2008 -- NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25 landing on the Red Planet. ...

Hillary Clinton's expectations contradict United Press International April 2, 2008 -- The challenge facing Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is that people have contradictory expectations of women leaders. WUSTL business professor Judi McLean Parks says the character traits associated with people in leadership positions are stereotypically masculine -- being assertive or competitive.

George W. Bush: The bygone American The Globe and Mail (Canada) March 31, 2008 -- All presidents in the final year of a final term are lame ducks, but the media now is mostly ignoring Bush and focusing more on the battling candidates. WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum comments.

McCain works to answer age and health questions Boston Globe and 5 others March 27, 2008 -- David Carr, clinical director of WUSTL's division of geriatrics and nutritional science, said the fact that McCain has gone five years without a melanoma recurrence is good news.

Fed Bank Appoints Bullard as President The Wall Street Journal March 26, 2008 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, has appointed as president James Bullard, an 18-year veteran of the bank's research staff and an adjunct faculty memeber at WUSTL.

Order in the jungle - Economics and the rule of law The Economist March 17, 2008 -- Article refers to the theory of WUSTL economist Douglass North and his view that stable, predictable laws encourage investment and growth.

Commentary: Let The Markets Regulate Microsoft Forbes.com March 12, 2008 -- WUSTL law professor Scott Kieff writes a commentary about regulating Microsoft. He is also a research fellow at Stanford University' s Hoover Institution, where he runs the Hoover Project on Commercializing Innovation, which studies the law, economics and politics of innovation.

Which Democrat Has Bigger Coattails? CBS News.com and 1 others March 11, 2008 -- Democrats now hold slim majorities in the House and Senate, and the party is expected to make gains in both chambers in November. Clinton's presence on the ticket could make it harder for Democrats in tight races, some suggest. But Steven Smith, political science professor at WUSTL, questions the notion that Obama would necessarily give Democrats a bigger boost than Clinton would.

Experts Study Neuroscience Use in Courts Associated Press and 82 others March 3, 2008 -- Brain scans have emerged as potentially powerful tools in court battles over defendants' sanity. More defense attorneys are seeking scans showing brain damage or abnormalities that might have made it difficult for their clients to control violent impulses. Marcus E. Raichle, researcher of neurology and radiology at the School of Medicine, comments.

Analysis: Debate Unlikely to Change Race Associated Press and 66 others Feb. 27, 2008 -- WUSTL's Wayne Fields comments on final pitches by Democratic presidential candidates as they head into the last weeks of primary elections.

Group says it has mapped corn genome Associated Press and 76 others Feb. 26, 2008 -- Richard Wilson, director of WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center, comments on the successful mapping of the corn genome.

Stanford Set to Raise Aid for Students in Middle The New York Times and 4 others Feb. 21, 2008 -- WUSTL has need-based loans with grants for students from families earning less than $60,000. many prominent universities are moving to expand financial aid to the middle class.

Drug Informant Fights Deportation NPR Day to Day Feb. 8, 2008 -- A Nigerian immigrant here facing deportation says he's going to be tortured and killed if he is, in fact, sent back home. Frank Enwonwu was caught smuggling heroin 22 years ago. Since then he's lived the dangerous life of an informant for federal drug authorities. He claims part of the deal was a promise to allow him to stay in the U.S. and escape revenge from the Nigerian drug dealers. Professor Stephen Legomsky, an immigration law expert at Washington University in St. Louis, comments.

Missouri vote signals complex national mood Chicago Tribune Feb. 7, 2008 -- Missouri has an uncanny ability to choose presidential winners, going with the loser only once in the past century (Adlai Stevenson in 1956). The state is effectively an intersection of cultural forces — urban and rural, north and south, east and west — and it periodically swings with prevailing national moods. WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields comments.

WUSTL Programs Related to American Politics

• Center in Political Economy:The Center sponsors a Ph.D. concentration, dissertation research, and scholarly conferences in the study of political economy.
• Center for New Institutional Social Sciences: Founded by Nobel Laureate Douglass North, the Center sponsors graduate programs on economic and political institutions.
• Harris Institute for International Legal Studies and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies: Political science faculty and students work closely with these research centers in the School of Law.
• Women and Gender Studies: A graduate program that brings issues of gender to bear on such disciplines as politics, psychology, history, education, law, architecture, art history and archaeology, social thought and analysis, and studies in cultures and languages.
• NSF-EITM Summer Institutes: The Department of Political Science and the Weidenbaum Center host a summer institute on the empirical implications of theoretical models of politics that trains junior faculty and advanced graduate students from around the country. Funded by the National Science Foundation.
• The Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy: The Weidenbaum Center supports research in political science, economics, and related fields. The Center sponsors many workshops and conferences in which political science faculty and graduate students participate.