166 episodes

The Niskanen Center’s The Science of Politics podcast features up-and-coming researchers delivering fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics today. Get beyond punditry to data-driven understanding of today’s Washington with host and political scientist Matt Grossmann. Each 30-45-minute episode covers two new cutting-edge studies and interviews two researchers.

The Science of Politics Niskanen Center

    • News
    • 4.5 • 61 Ratings

The Niskanen Center’s The Science of Politics podcast features up-and-coming researchers delivering fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics today. Get beyond punditry to data-driven understanding of today’s Washington with host and political scientist Matt Grossmann. Each 30-45-minute episode covers two new cutting-edge studies and interviews two researchers.

    Do Voters Dislike Old Candidates

    Do Voters Dislike Old Candidates

    We are headed toward a replay of 2020, with the oldest candidates ever nominated for president. How much does candidate age matter in elections and how do voters judge older and younger options? If voters are disappointed with older candidates, why do they keep electing a gerontocracy?

    Jennifer Wolak finds that voters do stereotype older and younger candidates but not to the disadvantage of older options. But she also finds that older members of Congress have lower approval ratings. Semra Sevi studied the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, finding that bringing age to voters' attention did not affect their electability assessments. But in other research, she finds that younger voters prefer younger candidates globally. They both say our older candidates are the product of the system, not the voters.

    • 47 min
    Lessons from the COVID-era Welfare Expansion

    Lessons from the COVID-era Welfare Expansion

    COVID brought expansions of social welfare programs and increased flexibility. But many of the changes expired. Now Congress is considering a bit of a revival of the child tax credit expansion, but recipients of traditional welfare programs won’t see equivalent gains. Did policymakers learn the right lessons from the successes and failures of COVID-era expansions? Carolyn Barnes finds that remote appointments helped recipients but that some program changes confused them. She says we’re back to a period of retrenchment but administrators are trying to adapt when they have incentives to do so. Mariely Lopez-Santana finds that support for the child tax credit expansion was not as high as for other programs because families were not perceived as that deserving. Even recipients were not converted to program advocates.

    • 57 min
    How Bureaucrats Deal with Political Chaos Above

    How Bureaucrats Deal with Political Chaos Above

    With the prospect of a second emboldened Trump administration on offer, the administrative state is under attack. How well did the bureaucracy deal with Trump appointees? Was there really a resistance in a "deep state"? And how much are career civil servants affected by chaos and turnover in the political class that sit above them? Jaime Kucinskas finds limited and ineffectual resistance of administrators under Trump, even among those alarmed by his actions, with employees still highly committed to the goals of their agencies. Amanda Rutherford finds that upper-level bureaucrats actually report higher satisfaction when they face political vacancies and they are less likely to want to leave. That suggests chaos at the top may not lead to wholesale degradation.

    • 48 min
    Elites Misperceive the Public

    Elites Misperceive the Public

    Are political elites in bubbles, out of touch with the American public, not recognizing how their views and conditions are not reflective of most people’s experience? Prior research found that elites tend to overestimate conservative policy positions in the American public, but there are wider misperceptions across the political spectrum. Alexander Furnas finds that unelected political elites—from government officials to lobbyists to media figures—all assume that public opinion more closely matches their own opinions than it really does. Adam Thal finds that politicians overestimate the level of financial struggles facing constituents. But correcting those misperceptions does not change their opinions.

    • 53 min
    The Deterioration of Congress

    The Deterioration of Congress

    After a year of minimal lawmaking, the public is disappointed with Congress. And the members don’t seem very happy either, but they are not changing their behavior. How much has Congress deteriorated and why? Alex Theodoridis has a new survey of former members of Congress to explore their insights on what ails Congress. We discuss January 6th and polarization and their favorite presidents and leaders from the past. The former Republicans seem to recognize their party’s plight and everyone sees dysfunction.

    • 58 min
    The Two Sides of Immigration Backlash

    The Two Sides of Immigration Backlash

    Voters are upset about disarray at the US-Mexico border and the increase in illegal crossings under President Biden. But they also reacted negatively to former president Trump’s crackdowns. In both ways, immigration has become more important in our politics, making it more like Europe. Ernesto Tiburcio finds that flows of unauthorized migrants into the US have moved Americans and local governments in a conservative political direction. Areas that have seen more unauthorized flows start voting more Republican and redirect expenditures away from services and toward enforcement. But the backlash may run both ways. In Europe, Alexander Kustov finds that radical-right party success has softened views of immigrants and immigration. But his work also finds that anti-immigration voters prioritize the issue more than those who favor immigration.

    • 1 hr 3 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
61 Ratings

61 Ratings

dbenbailey ,

Great for academics and students

This is a great way to introduce students to political science research; it also keeps me up to date with current scholarship!

mitchell.33 ,

Great idea, needs reformatting

Five stars for the content, host, and idea behind this podcast. It is much needed. However, it needs reformatting. It can be very difficult to follow weaving in and out of interviewees. Stick to one paper then move onto the next. Put yourself in the shoes of a podcast listener. We aren’t taking notes and aren’t paying close attention to names. We’re exercising, cooking, commuting. Make it as easy as possible to follow. In any case, please keep it up. It’s been very important for me to keep up with the latest political research.

justin kempf ,

A Podcast on Political Science for the Political Scientist

They do an incredible job bringing cutting-edge political science research to relevant topics based on current events. Many of the guests are relative unknowns, so the listener learns about ideas and perspectives they will rarely find anywhere else.

Justin Kempf
Democracy Paradox

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