Skip to Content Skip to Content

Political Science

Arrest of a Trump friend sends key message

Arrest of a Trump friend sends key message

Claire Finkelstein of the Law School co-authored an opinion piece about the prosecution of Tom Barrack, chair of Donald J. Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee. Barrack has been charged with several crimes, including conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. “The prosecution is a welcome first step to rein in both foreign lobbying generally and the corruption seemingly surrounding the former president specifically, but much more is needed on both counts,” they wrote.

To honor John Lewis, we must turn back the rising tide of voter suppression

To honor John Lewis, we must turn back the rising tide of voter suppression

Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote about the resurgence of voter suppression laws in the U.S. To preserve the right to vote, Berry said, “We must pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And to do that, we must remove the Senate filibuster as a barrier to the legislation.”

In These Times: ‘Race and Repair’
Drawing of books, an African American student’s face, a diploma, a fist in the air.

Image: Adriana Bellet

In These Times: ‘Race and Repair’

OMNIA’s final episodes look into how institutions have perpetuated racial hierarchies, how the past reverberates through the present, and consider what justice looks like.

From Omnia

Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional
 Glass doors read "polling station" with opening times listed

“What you should be doing with voting is trying to make it as easy as possible for people to vote with the fewest restrictions,” says Mary Frances Berry. 

Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional

In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona’s election laws—pertaining to out of precinct ballots and whether or not third parties can pick up and deliver absentee ballots—do not violate the Voting Rights Act.

Kristina García

Collaborative report examines polling problems in the 2020 election
A stylized map of the United States is full of depictions of men and women packing the country

A newly released report from the American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) that takes a look at what went wrong with polling in 2020.

Collaborative report examines polling problems in the 2020 election

The Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies took a leading role in the newly released report on polling. The program’s faculty director, John Lapinski, shares his takeaways.

Kristen de Groot

U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, explained
US soldiers holding guns are running behind a tank with an American flag on top in sand in Syria

The 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team on the ground in Syria. (Image: The National Guard)

U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, explained

Sara Plana, a 2021-22 Postdoctoral Fellow at Perry World House, shares her thoughts on the airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed militias and the bigger picture of what’s happening in the region.

Kristen de Groot

The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’
covid global map

As a global pandemic, COVID-19 spread across the world. But it didn’t hit everyone equally. “Being healthy is essential to human flourishing,” says Jennifer Prah Ruger, who advocates for shared norms in health governance to address global inequalities. (Image: Martin Sanchez, also featured on homepage)

The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’

Experts across the University weigh in on which lessons the pandemic drove home and what immediate measures are needed to prevent future loss.
Global Policy Forum focuses on ‘People, Planet, and Prosperity’
A man in a suit and tie and glasses sits in profile in a white chair as he looks at three video screens in front of him: one showing an illustration of a light buld and the words global policy forum, the middle screen showing a man with glasses in front of a book case and the last screen on the right showing another man with glasses, grey hair and a beard

The virtual Global Policy Forum featured leaders and thinkers from across the globe, including co-hosts Paolo Magri (in chair, left), Penn’s Jim McGann (center screen) and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (right screen).

Global Policy Forum focuses on ‘People, Planet, and Prosperity’

Penn’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, headed by Jim McGann, co-hosted the event that shared insights and proposals on the priorities of the G20 ahead of the group’s fall meeting 

Kristen de Groot

The political rhetoric over Pa. Republicans’ election bill obscures the truth: It’s complicated

The political rhetoric over Pa. Republicans’ election bill obscures the truth: It’s complicated

Dan Hopkins of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the unpredictable effects of changes to the election code. “It’s the question of unintended consequences, in part, and the interactions between these different kinds of provisions,” he said. “These policies can be hard to evaluate, because people may react to them in unexpected ways.”