Political Behavior

The analysis of how individuals learn and act in political environments, from voters to officeholders.

image of voter booth with cardboard privacy shields that have the American flag

Distinguished Faculty Shaping Political Science Research

Faculty Members Who Specialize in Political Behavior Research

Faculty MemberPh.D. DegreeResearch Interests
Miles ArmalyMichigan State UniversityCourts & Judicial Behavior; Public Opinion; Political Psychology
Robert BrownIndiana UniversityParty Politics; State Politics; Congress
John BruceOhio State UniversityVoting Behavior; Public Opinion; Political Parties
Kesicia DickinsonMichigan State UniversityPolitical Behavior; Political Representation; Race and Ethnic Politics; Black Politics; Gender and Politics; and Intersectionality.
Marvin KingUniversity of North TexasCampaigns & Elections; Congressional Behavior; Minority and Ethnic Politics; Party Politics; Voting Behavior; Political Participation
Jonathan KlinglerUniversity of RochesterCongress; Public Presidency; Political Psychology; Public Opinion; Methodology; Machine Learning and Text-as-Data; Veterans Politics
Greg LoveUniversity of California-DavisLatin American Politics; Democratic Transitions; Political Parties in New Democracies; Comparative Political Participation; Political Economy; Quantitative Methodology
Jonathan WinburnIndiana UniversityRepresentation; Public Policy; Redistricting; State Politics; Elections
Julie WronskiStony Brook UniversityPublic Opinion & Political Behavior; Political Psychology; Political Communication

Meet the Faculty

Our faculty are experts in a wide variety of political behavior questions. 
Miles Armaly

Miles Armaly

  • Associate Professor of Political Science
Robert Brown

Robert Brown

  • Professor of Political Science
John Bruce

John Bruce

  • Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science
Kesicia Dickinson

Kesicia Dickinson

  • Assistant Professor of Political Science and African American Studies
Marvin King

Marvin King

  • Associate Professor of Political Science & African American Studies
Jonathan Klingler

Jonathan Klingler

  • Associate Professor of Political Science
Gregory Love

Gregory Love

  • Professor of Political Science
Jonathan Winburn

Jonathan Winburn

  • Professor of Political Science and Director of Social Science Research Laboratory
Julie Wronski

Julie Wronski

  • Associate Professor of Political Science

Research and Grants

Whitehouse capitol building collage

Rule Significance and Interbranch Competition

Dr. Jonathan Klingler and his co-author published an article in the American Political Science Review. Using a new model on nearly 40,000 bureaucratic rules since 1995, they find that the president and Congress influence rule promulgation in a nuanced way. 

Read the Article
image of reporters holding microphones in front of a man in a business suite who is holding a document as if he is preparing to give a speech.

Leaders and Crisis

Dr. Greg Love, who works in the subfield of Comparative Politics, is part of a National Science Foundation grant to analyze how leaders communicate with the public during crises and how the public responds. Using machine learning approaches, they are trying to understand how elected leaders respond to crises, and how voters judge them for their responses, ultimately to provide clues to a nation’s political stability and the accountability of its leaders. 

Study on the Politics of Military Veteran Identity

Military Veterans

Dr. Travis Endicott, a naval veteran, earned his Ph.D. from the department. As a graduate student, he researched how the experience of military combat shapes political opinion. Blending the fields of military psychology and political behavior, he separated veterans by levels of combat experience to connect with their foreign policy attitudes and trust in government.

Marvin King speaking in front of a crowd

Resilient Economies

Dr. Marvin King led a series of state-wide meetings to provide professional development and networking for non-governmental organizations and other voluntary groups and institutions with a social mission. Supported by grants from the Skoll Foundation and Higher Purpose Co., these workshops championed the work of social innovators to build community wealth within Mississippi for people of color by supporting ownership of financial, cultural, and political power.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Ella Jordan, a recent graduate with a BA in political science, received a prestigious Stamps Impact Prize, a competitive award to enhance undergraduate student-initiated research projects. With the mentorship of Dr. Miles Armaly, she worked on a project titled: Breaking Barriers or Building Resistance? Female Undergraduates' Response to Body Politicization and Its Impact on Legal Attitudes. 

Ella Jordan

BA in Political Science

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