2012 Election

How do we fix the problem of too much politics in the bureaucracy?  Associate Chair of the Department of Political Science David Lewis explains why he thinks the number of presidential appointees should be cut and why most presidents do not support a merit system when it comes to bureaucratic… Read More

They’re called patriots, extremists, conservatives, libertarians.  So who really makes up the Tea Party?  Vanderbilt sociologist Steven Tepper surveyed some two thousand people and found four major traits that make up a Tea Party supporter: authoritarian, libertarian, fear of change and strong anti-immigrant sentiment. He also found that one of… Read More

The long list of Republican presidential candidates continue to duke it out in the debates. Soon they will be heading to the earlier than usual primaries in January 2012.  Professor of Political Science Bruce Oppenheimer says things are still looking good for Mitt Romney. View 2012 election expertise information… Read More

What makes some members of Congress better than others at moving bills through the legislative process? Alan Wiseman, co-director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, has taken an in depth look at Congress’ last 35 years and tells us why women may have the upper hand. Read More

Who will be our next President?  A lot depends on what happens to our ailing economy between now and election day. But, presidential historian Thomas Schwartz says another factor will depend on which candidate has the clearest vision for success. View 2012 election expertise information for Thomas Schwartz >>… Read More

If you think campaign spending during the last presidential election was a lot, you haven’t seen anything yet. Distinguished Professor of Political Science John Geer says this will be the first presidential race since the landmark “Citizens United” 2010 Supreme Court ruling, which ended most restrictions on donations by… Read More

Attack ads are already hitting the airwaves during this presidential election. John Geer, who wrote the book In Defense of Negativity which analyzes negative ads during the 1960-2004 presidential campaigns, discusses the media’s role in the attack ad wars. View 2012 election expertise information for John Geer… Read More

If you think that the word ‘compromise’ is a lost art in Congress, you are right. Marc Hetherington, professor of politcial science and co-author of the book Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics, tells us why our political leaders are digging in their heels. View 2012 election expertise information… Read More

If the real disposable incomes of voters are growing - even modestly - in the six months before Election Day, President Obama is likely to win. If they aren’t, he is likely to lose, according to political scientist Larry Bartels. Read More

Larry Bartels, arguably the most influential political scientist of his generation, researches a mix of psychology and democracy for a holistic understanding of the political process. Read More

The Occupy Wall Street movement could offer a similar opportunity to left-wing politicians as the Tea Party movement did to the right, says a Vanderbilt University historian. Read More

See new Vanderbilt research on who makes up a Tea Party supporter. Plus, learn what hip hop is doing for kid’s health and discover Vanderbilt’s ties to the new X-Men movie! [vucastblurb]… Read More

Vanderbilt University professor of law and political science Carol Swain believes that America’s departure from our founding fathers’ Judeo-Christian roots has come at a cost politically, socially and morally. Read More

Research by Vanderbilt and Claremont political scientists show a significant number of American voters remain biased against Mormons and other religious minorities. Read More

Domestic issues are likely to trump foreign policy successes in determining Barack Obama’s chances for re-election, says historian Thomas Alan Schwartz. Read More

Researchers discover corporations gain clear financial benefits when individual employees make political donations. Read More

Watch videos of Larry Van Horn, a leading expert and researcher on health care management and economics, explaining his health care opinions. Read More

Watch a soundbite of: Larry Van Horn explaining his health care opinions. Read More