Political Science

An illustration of an old television with a person in sunglasses on it. On top sits a laptop computer with an arm reaching out past the screen, holding a rolled up newspaper. Another newspaper lays flat on top of the screen.

TV news top driver of political echo chambers in U.S.

Duncan Watts and colleagues found that 17% of Americans consume television news from partisan left- or right-leaning sources compared to just 4% online. For TV news viewers, this audience segregation tends to last month over month.

Michele W. Berger ・

People queue to offer flowers and prayers for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at Zojoji temple prior to his funeral on July 12, 2022, in Tokyo.

The legacy of Shinzo Abe

Frederick R. Dickinson, ​​professor of Japanese history and director of the Center for East Asian Studies, offers his take on Abe’s impact on Japan, foreign policy, and lessons we can draw from his killing.

Kristen de Groot ・

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads toward the front doors of 10 Downing Street in London

Boris Johnson’s downfall, explained

Political scientist Brendan O’Leary, an expert on U.K. politics in the School of Arts & Sciences, offers his insight on what led to this moment, what might be next, and what it all means for the future of the U.K.

Kristen de Groot ・

Hong Kong and Chinese flags fly in advance of the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain

Hong Kong handover, 25 years later

Hong Kong marks 25 years under Chinese control on July 1. Jacques deLisle, director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, discusses where Hong Kong stands now and what the future might hold.

Kristen de Groot ・

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen at the end of a long table

Putin, personalism, and the war in Ukraine

Christopher Carothers of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China discusses how Putin managed to personalize power for himself and what that means for Russia’s neighbors and the world.

Kristen de Groot ・



In the News


The New York Times

Kennedy’s vow to take on big food could alienate his new G.O.P. allies

Mary Summers of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stated dual missions of dismantling the F.D.A. and regulating food ingredients don’t go together.

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Baltimore Sun

Maryland shifted toward Donald Trump more than some other blue states, while giving Kamala Harris her second-biggest win

Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences says that poor turnout in heavily Democratic cities and a general voter swing for economic reasons contributed to Donald Trump’s victory.

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Business Insider

Elon Musk wins big by betting on Trump

Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that Elon Musk might view himself as capable of “turning around the federal government.”

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Inside Higher Ed

The view of the voting from campus

Jeffrey Green of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Political Union, sponsored by the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy in the School of Arts & Sciences, which hosts student debates and speakers across the ideological spectrum.

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NBC News

How Pennsylvania’s mail ballot rules will lead to thousands of provisional ballots on Election Day

Marc Meredith of the School of Arts & Sciences and Michael Morse of Penn Carey Law say that most provisional ballots in Pennsylvania are likely to come from voters with outstanding mail ballots, rather than voters who’ve already returned deficient mail ballots.

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Newsweek

Donald Trump, evangelicals and the 2024 MAGA coalition

Shawn Patterson Jr. of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump was largely an apolitical figure in 2016 with a wide array of celebrity relationships, donations to candidates of both parties, and a career in New York real estate.

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