political science Archives

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Donald Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ may have actually influenced voters in Georgia runoff, research shows

While it’s difficult to measure the effects that such claims have on voting behavior, researchers at Northeastern were able to show in a new study that there were at least modest links between Trump’s false claims of fraud and how Georgia residents cast their votes in the crucial runoff election.

by Tanner Stening August 16, 2022

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Forward Party sends ‘strong warning’ to Democrats and Republicans, but faces uphill battle

While it’s true that an increasing majority of U.S. adults have expressed some desire for a third party alternative to shake up the political system, doing so in practice is “extremely difficult,” says Costas Panagopoulos, head of Northeastern’s political science department.

by Tanner Stening August 1, 2022

white haired man wearing purple tie sitting at a large desk

Will Biden and Democrats be able to protect abortion rights through legislation?

President Biden’s executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare services nationwide comes at a time when democratic voters are frustrated and are looking for bold steps from the Democratic Party, Northeastern political science experts say. However, a return to Roe v. Wade level of protection is only possible through a new federal law.

by Alena Kuzub July 7, 2022

Do political endorsements still matter?

How much do endorsements matter today, and when can they make or break a campaign? Northeastern political scientists weigh in.

by Tanner Stening May 26, 2022

Newspaper Front Pages After First Round Of French Presidential Elections

Could France elect a leader from the far right?

The final round of the French presidential election on April 24 features a rematch of the 2017 runoff between Emmanuel Macron, the current officeholder, and Marine Le Pen, the far-right challenger of the National Front. Colin Brown, a Northeastern assistant teaching professor of political science, weighs in.

by Ian Thomsen April 12, 2022

A car burns at the side of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian attack has severely damaged a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Is World War III possible? The next few weeks will tell.

If the U.S. and its NATO allies are going to avoid becoming militarily involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, developments in the coming days will prove critical, says Mai'a Cross, the Edward W. Brooke Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Northeastern.

by Tanner Stening March 9, 2022

Where others see walls, she looks for bridges

Sarah Bernt, who graduated from Northeastern in 2019, has been selected for the prestigious and selective George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which sends future American leaders to the island of Ireland for a year of graduate study. Bernt will study conflict resolution and reconciliation in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 23, 2021

Left, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a union training center in Hermantown, Minn. AP Photo by Carolyn Kaster. Right, U.S. President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a Great American Comeback campaign rally at Cecil Airport. AP Photo by Paul Hennessy / Sipa

Trump, Biden likely to focus on energizing core supporters in first presidential debate

The move away from showering swing voters with attention has a lot to do with technology that allows campaigns to micro-target supporters down to where they live, says Costas Panagopoulos, chair of Northeastern’s Department of Political Science, whose new book connects election data to insights gained from behavioral social science.

by Peter Ramjug September 28, 2020

What cute dogs can teach us about democracy

A group of Northeastern students has spent the semester devising voting procedures that could, at the same time, improve the U.S. political system and determine who in Northeastern’s philosophy and religion department has the cutest dog.

by Laura Castañón April 19, 2019

Four things we’ve learned about America from the midterm elections

Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but Republicans retained control of the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections, which two Northeastern political scientists sees as a desire among voters for a balance of power in government, but something short of a broad repudiation of President Donald Trump.

by Greg St. Martin November 7, 2018

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