Political Science | Penn Today

Grey mail slots are full of letters and other post

Mailing it in: Getting the word out on getting the ballots in

A new study by political scientists Daniel Hopkins and Marc Meredith shows an inexpensive postcard campaign can boost mail-in voting.

Large group of men gather in the street in Yemen holding the country's flag during the 2011 Arab Spring.

Arab Spring, 10 years later

A virtual panel at the Middle East Center looked at the legacy and long-term impact of the 2011 uprisings and how the region has been redefined by them.

Joe Biden is already facing an ally problem

Dorothy Kronick of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about a recent statement from the EU that the bloc no longer views opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s rightful president, which Kronick believes will give the Biden administration more space to support other democratic groups working to depose Nicolás Maduro. “This statement from the EU is in no way backtracking from the commitment to restore democracy to Venezuela,” she said. “This is about looking for the most successful and effective strategy.”

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Q&A

What to expect from the Democrats’ new Senate majority

Fels Director Matthew Levendusky gives his insights on the impact of Democratic control of the Senate, the importance of majority rule, realistic expectations, and how the heads of the federal trifecta will get along.

Mary Frances Berry and Douglas Brinkley

Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences joined a conversation about the inauguration of President Biden, the legacy of President Trump, and the state of the country. “There are some deep-seated fissures in our country on major issues like race, law enforcement, poverty, homelessness, and jobs,” she said. “None of those went away while Trump was there and they haven’t gone away yet, and after the pandemic they will still be here.”

A person in an American flag outfit and bandana carrying an American flag in front of a large group of people at the U.S. Capitol building. Many hold flags that read "Trump 2020."

The influence and importance of language

Labels for what happened Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol were very different from those used to describe the Black Lives Matter movement or the 2020 election results. How much weight do individual words actually have? It depends on the context.

Why there's hope Joe Biden's quest to unify America will work

Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences and Annenberg Public Policy Center and Dominik Stecula of Colorado State University, a former APPC postdoc, wrote about an experiment that successfully used short conversations between Americans with different political views to reduce partisan hostility.

Trump has left the building, but the foundations are still in place

Rafael Khachaturian of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote about the conditions that gave rise to the Trump presidency and how those factors might shape the future. “What is certain is that Trump’s electoral defeat thus in no way dissolves the underlying forces that enabled his rise,” he said.

What is the filibuster? Democrats and Republicans spar over legislative rule

Rogers Smith of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the history of filibusters and the pros and cons of eliminating the practice. "Filibusters were rare, however, until the late 19th century, when the Republicans were most often the dominant party, and Democrats especially found they could block laws they didn't like by using filibusters to prevent anything else getting done until their opponents gave up," he said.

The state of U.S. democracy

On the eve of a presidential inauguration following a historic election and its aftermath, experts from across the University weigh in on where we stand as a country.

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