ABOUT
Tackling the big questions.
Societies in all regions of the world face unprecedented challenges. Globalization and economic uncertainty, immigration, asymmetric security threats, energy dependence and the environment, health care, poverty, and polarization of electorates are among the issues testing our understanding of how human communities function.
In the MIT Department of Political Science, we see in these challenges the opportunity to conduct innovative, high-impact research. We believe that the strongest theoretical models emerge through observations in the field. From voting booths in the U.S. to the villages of Afghanistan to the factory floors of China, our goal is to advance the dialogue of political science by comparing empirical phenomena with scholarly insights into how societies work. In the process, we are developing alternative uses for existing methodologies and inventing new ones.
Here are a few of the issues we are grappling with:
- What factors are most influential in determining a voter’s choice of candidate?
more about American Politics and Public Policy >> - Why do citizens comply with government regulations in non-democratic societies?
more about Comparative Politics >> - How can great external powers influence the outcomes of civil conflicts?
more about International Relations >> - How do current survey and polling methodologies skew the resulting data?
more about Models and Methods >> - Which industrial policies promote just supply chains, innovation, and job growth?
more about Political Economy >> - What are the organizational patterns of opposition groups in conflict zones?
more about Security Studies >>
RICHARD LOCKE
Mission and culture of MIT Political Science
