Political Science

Ara Patvakanian stands behind some trees with his arms crossed.

Who, What, Why: Ara Patvakanian

The fourth-year mathematical economics and political science double-major describes how our understanding of economic and political phenomena can have far-reaching consequences and highlights the importance of embracing different intellectual perspectives.

Kristen de Groot ・

John Lapinski and PORES students at a computer at the Decision Desk.

Penn undergrads and Decision 2024

From helping with exit polling to vote count data collection, students in the PORES program bring their skills to the NBC Decision Desk on election nights.

Alex Schein

A composite of three images featuring, left to right, Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio; former South African President Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe; and former Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti.

A trio of events welcome world leaders to Penn

In recent weeks, the Center for Africana Studies hosted the president of Sierra Leone and a former president of South Africa, while Perry World House had a conversation with a former leader of Peru.

Kristen de Groot ・

Two people sit in front of the glass doors of a brick building.

‘Moving along’ to the Dutch-German border

A new documentary co-produced and co-starring Simon Richter of the School of Arts & Sciences invites viewers to imagine the day when the Dutch may have to move toward Germany as sea levels rise and how that might happen peacefully and innovatively.

Kristen de Groot ・

Three people sit at a table in front of a small video camera on a tripod as the person on the right gestures with her hands.

Inside the GOP

Alyssa Farrah Griffin and Sarah Matthews spoke about their experiences working for the ex-president and their views of a new GOP in a Red and Blue Exchange discussion moderated by Brian Rosenwald.

Penn Today Staff ・



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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