The functioning of representative democracy crucially depends on political parties that mediate between citizens and the state. It is widely doubted, however, that contemporary parties can still perform this connective role. Taking seriously the ensuing challenges for representative democracy, Rethinking Party Reform advances a normative account of party reform, drawing on both democratic theory and political science scholarship on parties.

Economic inequality has increased drastically across advanced industrial democracies and, with it, the range of economic experiences. These changes present a challenge for political economy which gauges the health of the economy with aggregate economic statistics like growth and jobs. Motivated by this challenge, we ask how new economic realities in advanced capitalism matters for how citizens evaluate the national economy. We argue that individuals seek out and apply information on those indicators of economic heath that affect their own lives while discounting those that do not.

All welcome / bring lunch!

Despite high profile efforts to resolve the conflict since 2014, Libya today remains in a state of civil war and state collapse. This seminar explores the underlying dynamics of the ongoing conflict and the reasons for the failure of international efforts to reach a negotiated solution in Libya. The speaker will consider both domestic and international dynamics, as well as the wider implications for the theory and practice of conflict resolution today.

Numerous studies document how parties, unions, and local leaders mobilize voters, but the role of employers in getting out the vote is not well understood. Drawing from recent postelection surveys in 8 countries lower and middle-income countries, we explore the prevalence, normative implications, and causes of workplace mobilization of voters. We find that this practice is common in a range of countries and is often seen as coercive by employees. We also find that politicians face a tradeoff.