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Political Science

COVID, politics, and voting by mail
Two U.S. postal service mail boxes sit side by side on a sidewalk with trees behind them and a the first few floors of a red brick building on the left in the background

Voting by mail has become a hot topic this election cycle, and a team of researchers at Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) looked at how partisanship is affecting perceptions of it.

COVID, politics, and voting by mail

New research conducted by the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) looks at how much support for vote by mail was impacted by the pandemic and efforts by partisan elites to politicize the discussion.

Kristen de Groot

An expert take on the Israel-UAE accord
Two flags of Israel flying alongside one flag of the United Arab Emirates.

An expert take on the Israel-UAE accord

Ian Lustick, political science professor who specializes in Middle East politics, gives his take on the significance of the U.S.-brokered agreement and what it could mean for the region.

Kristen de Groot

Biden, once an orator, reaches for rhetorical flourish again

Biden, once an orator, reaches for rhetorical flourish again

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center spoke about how presidential candidates communicate with voters. “We’re trying to figure out whether these people have a capacity to govern,” she said. “Can they absorb evidence and provide a coherent answer? The question is: Who are we going to get as president?”

Iranian, American health experts share coronavirus experiences in rare talk
A hand in a medical glove is see holding a face mask with the words "Mask Tehran."

A gloved hand holds a mask reading "Mask Tehran." Penn's Middle East Center recently held a rare conversation between Iranian and American health officials about the coronavirus crisis.

Iranian, American health experts share coronavirus experiences in rare talk

The coronavirus crisis and the move to online events presented Penn’s Middle East Center with a rare opportunity to foster the first public conversation about the virus between senior health officials in Iran and counterparts in the United States.

Kristen de Groot

Kamala Harris could help Dems court Philly’s large Indian American community

Kamala Harris could help Dems court Philly’s large Indian American community

Murali Balaji of the Annenberg School for Communication said Kamala Harris’ presence on the Democratic ticket could sway voters in swing areas like Philadelphia. “I think it could get Indian American and South Asian voters who might have otherwise stayed home to go to the polls and vote,” Balaji said.

Democratic convention's focus on racial justice omits policy demands of BLM protesters

Democratic convention's focus on racial justice omits policy demands of BLM protesters

Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences commented on the speaker lineup for the first night of this year’s Democratic National Convention. “What a motley crew,” she said. “You should not expect the party to have anybody who might deviate from the party line and say something like the policing bill passed in the House would not do much of anything. I don’t expect hard truths to be told during a convention. It is about packaging and marketing. That’s what they are doing.”