A female student holding a microphone towards another female student to ask questions at a political debate.

Department of Political Science News

The Department of Political Science is dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and service. Our students learn and receive mentorship from faculty members who specialize in various subjects including American politics, comparative politics, international politics, political theory, public law, and public policy.

Current Political Science News

spring flowers
Campus News |

The rosiest headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Portrait of UNLV alumnus Zachary Billot
People |

With resilience and resolve, award adds to Billot's legacy as one of UNLV’s most academically decorated graduates.

A rear view of UNLV students, dressed in red caps and gowns, filtering into the Thomas & Mack Center with the stage in the background
Campus News |

An enduring UNLV end-of-semester tradition is to highlight exceptional students who embody the academic, research, and community impact of the graduating class.

UNLV XMAS
Campus News |

This month’s frosty headlines and highlights from the students and faculty of UNLV.

unlv pumpkins
Campus News |

A monthly roundup of the top news stories at UNLV, featuring the presidential election, gaming partnerships, and much more.

Undergrad researcher Benjamin Sabir helps H. Jeremy Cho examine an atmospheric water harvesting device. (Jeff Scheid/UNLV)
Campus News |

A monthly roundup of the top news stories featuring UNLV staff and students.

Political Science In The News

Brookings

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its third year, continues to be a focal point of attention for the people of Taiwan. This is because, at the time of the Russian invasion, many were concerned that the Taiwan Strait was another geopolitical hot spot where war might erupt.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Many are raising concerns over President Trump's recent executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, labeling it as unconstitutional and beyond the scope of the executive branch's authority. Dr. Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, weighed in on the issue.

KSNV-TV: News 3

President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, and both sides of the aisle were fired up for different reasons.

OilPrice.com

European leaders jumped to renew a push for an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine after US President Donald Trump said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote a letter stating he's ready for talks with Moscow while also offering to sign a deal on Ukraine's mineral resources "at any time."

Las Vegas Sun

Mayor Shelley Berkley, wearing a bright yellow blazer and even brighter smile, stood next to a podium in front of a small crowd Thursday morning inside the council chambers of Las Vegas City Hall, fielding questions from reporters.

Nevada Current

President Donald Trump, during a victory lap last month in Las Vegas, partially credited Gov. Joe Lombardo with his win in Nevada. “You had an impact. I’ll tell you that,” Trump said from the stage to Lombardo, who was in the audience. “Thank you, my man. Great job.”

Political Science Experts

An expert on Latin American politics, with a focus on NAFTA and the Mexican and North American automobile industry.
An expert on American politics, campaigns and elections and public policy.
An expert in political philosophy, and the intersection of politics and religion.
An expert in international security, immigration and refugee policies, and political violence.
An expert on judges, judicial selection, and race and gender bias.
An expert on politics, elections, and the American party system. 

Recent Political Science Accomplishments

Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) published a policy report, "The war in Ukraine is influencing how Taiwanese think about conflict," in Brookings. In this report, Wang summarizes recent academic publications on Taiwanese willingness to fight, and how the ongoing Ukraine crisis influences the public opinion in Taiwan. 
Dan Lee and Tanner Bates (Political Science) published an article, "Explaining Variation in the Use of Electoral Fusion," in American Politics Research. The article analyzes fusion candidacies (minor party cross-nominations of major party candidates) in U.S. congressional elections in New York from 1978 to 2018. The authors highlight the impact of…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) was invited by the Center for Taiwan Studies at the University of Texas at Austin to have a talk on March 3, titled "Willingness to Fight in Asymmetric Wars." In this talk, Wang explains the psychological mechanisms behind the willingness to fight, especially when the cost and risk are high. Wang…
John Tuman (Political Science) recently published an article titled, "Labor Upsurge in the North American Automobile Transition: Towards a New Industrial and Labor Relations Stage," in the Journal of Labor and Society. The article was coauthored with Alex Covarrubias (Colegio de Sonora, Mexico) and John Holmes (Queens University, Canada).
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) and Darrell Carter (Political Science PhD) co-authored the article, "The Past is Present: Underestimating Fear of Contemporary Reprisals in the Legacy of Political Violence," in Political Science. In this article, Wang and Carter reveal the issue of nonresponse in the study of political repression…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) co-authored the article, "Undercurrent in Taiwan: Nationalism and Calculation of the Cross-Strait Relations (2002–2022)," in Public Opinion Quarterly. In this article, Wang and others analyzed 14 waves of survey (n = 16494) from 2002 to 2022 trying to explain a big research question: Why did…