US vice presidential candidates have no detectable effect on the presidential election outcome, says Prof. Paul Quirk
“It takes a severely deficient candidate in the second spot—think Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s running mate on the Republican ticket in 2008—to move the needle a point or two downward,” Quirk said.
Will mudslinging be effective in Alberta’s election? Prof. Emeritus Richard Johnston offers his insights
Professor Emeritus Richard Johnston believes the smear tactics might be successful against Smith because she has hours and hours of recorded talk shows and podcasts and a number of controversial statements.
A majority of Canadians think the time has come to move on from the monarchy, says Prof. Emeritus Philip Resnick
Part of the political reticence in Canada around formally breaking with the British monarchy stems from fears that “opening up” the Constitution to do it could be a slippery slope, with provinces demanding constitutional changes on other issues, Prof. Philip Resnick said.
Q&A with Faye Ying, GLOCAL Foundation Founder and Executive Director
UBC Political Science Alumnus Faye Ying answers our questions about her goals, the impact of her time at UBC, her work at GLOCAL: “Innovative problem-solving requires us to be able to connect the dots that we normally consider unrelated.”
Watch: “When voting no is not enough: Legislative brawling and obstruction in Korea” Prof. Gyung-Ho Jeong
Professor Gyung-Ho Jeong argues that legislators with intense policy preferences engage in costly actions, such as brawling and obstruction, as a means of signaling their policy commitments.
Watch: “We are Family: Political Dynasties in Canada” Dr. Alex Rivard
Using a unique dataset of legislators’ electoral and biographic data in the Canadian federal and provincial parliaments, UBC Political Science PhD Graduate Alex Rivard analyzes the extent to which family dynasties affect the career development of legislators since the late 1700s.
Prof. Paul Quirk comments on Kamala Harris’ influential role in Joe Biden’s past and future presidential runs
In discussing Vice President Harris’ history campaigning for numerous Democratic candidates in key seats and governorships, Prof. Quirk says “she was an effective campaigner, attracting favorable media coverage of her rallies and other events with those candidates.”
Q&A with Bianca Navarro, GLOCAL Foundation Intern
Bianca Navarro, UBC Political Science student, draws on her time with GLOCAL Foundation and what she learned during her internship: “When I see the transformation of Canadian youth from passive recipients to active contributors, it gives me a strong sense of achievement and fulfillment.”
UBC Political Science is looking to fill up to two Lecturer positions
The Department of Political Science is seeking to hire up to two full-time Lecturers, who will teach courses at the undergraduate level including Introduction to Politics, other lower-level survey courses, and courses in their field of specialization based on the teaching needs of the Department.
Prof. Paul Quirk discusses critical significance of Wisconsin Supreme Court election
If Republican candidate Dan Kelly wins, “not only will the Republican districting remain in place,” says Prof. Quirk, “but Wisconsin may be vulnerable in 2024 and thereafter to a reprise of the 2020 Republican efforts to overturn the state’s election results.”