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Good to Know: How composition effects can distort election narratives
March 19, 2026 - Eric Gonzalez Juenke
MSU Political Science Associate Professor Eric Gonzalez Juenke is a fellow at Good Authority and wrote this article on the effects of voter participation.
MSU PLS alumna establishes Experiential Learning scholarship to support first-generation college students
March 18, 2026 - Emily Jodway Patyna
Joellen Snow, a 1975 graduate of Michigan State, recently partnered with the University to establish the Experiential Learning Scholarship Fund, an award created to support first-generation college students in experiential learning and study away opportunities.
Access Spotlight: Joellen Snow
March 18, 2026
Joellen Snow is a 1975 graduate of Michigan State with a degree in Political Science. Originally from Texas, Snow and her family moved to Midland for her father’s job when she was 12. She toured both Michigan and Michigan State in high school and ‘absolutely fell in love’ with the campus of MSU.
Does Military Service Foster National Belonging?
March 9, 2026 - Raymundo Lopez, MSU Political Science PhD candidate
In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Raymundo Lopez, covers the new article by Nan Zhang, University of Mannheim, and Melissa M. Lee, University of Pennsylvania, “Military Service and Immigrants’ Integration: Evidence from the Vietnam Draft Lotteries”.
PLS Scholar Spotlight: Lily Dixon
March 2, 2026
MSU Political Science Scholar Spotlight shines on Lily Dixon, a Public Policy student who has recently been named a finalist for the Truman Scholarship.
MSU PLS student named a finalist for the Truman Scholarship
February 26, 2026 - Anneliese Mackel and Kristin Janka
Public Policy major Lily Dixon is one of two MSU students named as a finalist in the nationally competitive Truman Scholarship.
Can election forecasting make people better citizens?
February 25, 2026 - Eric Gonzalez Juenke
MSU Political Science Associate Professor Eric Gonzalez Juenke, a Good Authority Fellow, writes that a simple game might make people more interested in campaigns.
Concerns about US institutions suggest that ongoing loyalty from other democracies can no longer be taken for granted
February 17, 2026 - Ha Eun Choi, Shahryar Minhas, Scott de Marchi and Max Gallup
The last two decades have seen the US intervene in Iraq and Afghanistan. In new research, Ha Eun Choi, Scott de Marchi, Max Gallop, and Shahryar Minhas explore the effects of these often-costly overseas commitments on other countries’ diplomatic alignment with the US. They find that while autocracies tended to move closer to China in response to US foreign policy constraints, democracies remained loyal. They write that the “stickiness” of democratic alliances even in times of constraint may depend on the US being seen as a credible democratic anchor; with new questions over the health of US democratic institutions, this loyalty may no longer hold.
Ask the expert: Political pressure on the Fed has reached a climax
February 6, 2026 - Cristina Bodea
Cristina Bodea is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University’s College of Social Science where she studies central bank independence and monetary policy. Here, Bodea explains why independence matters, how political interference can backfire and the implications for the economy.
Two PLS students win awards in the Diversity Research Showcase
February 3, 2026 - Karessa Weir
MSU PLS majors Alexandra Beck and Lowell Monis took home prizes in this year’s 9th Annual Diversity Research Showcase hosted by the MSU Honors College.
Access Torch: Benjamin Yoel
January 26, 2026 - Emily Jodway
This January, the Office of Institutional Access recognizes Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international memorial day held each year on January 27 commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. We also spotlight members of our Michigan State University community that are doing research or work relevant to this month’s topic. Benjamin Yoel, a PhD candidate in the MSU Department of Political Science and a predoctoral fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Yoel is a descendant of three Holocaust survivors, a facet of his family history that greatly influences his work.
PLS PhD student inducted into national honor society
January 23, 2026
MSU PLS PhD student Raymundo Lopez has been selected to be an inductee in the seventh cohort of the MSU Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.
Four things to watch in Uganda's 2026 election
January 16, 2026 - Kelechi Amakoh
From Museveni’s long rule to repression of opposition parties, these issues have shaped this year’s election, by MSU PLS PhD candidate Kelechi Amakoh, a 2025-26 Good Authority Fellow.
Five lessons from Africa’s 2025 elections
January 9, 2026 - Kelechi Amakoh
MSU PLS PhD candidate Kelechi Amakoh is a 2025-26 Good Authority Fellow. Here is his latest report on African elections.
Faculty-Student Research Collaborations make Political Science real for students
January 7, 2026
Collaborative research between faculty and students has become a defining strength in PLS. In just the last year, 16 faculty members—about two-thirds of the Department—reported working with students on research projects, with several supervising multiple collaborations at once. These projects span topics from representation to international conflict and public opinion, and they show how shared inquiry deepens learning for both students and faculty. They take many forms, including co-authored papers in peer-reviewed journals, joint data collection, and mentoring relationships that develop as students move from coursework into independent research.
Three MSU PLS grads named 2026 Michigan Political Leadership Program Fellows
January 5, 2026 - Karessa Weir
MSU Political Science alumni Jolie Lawrence, Josh Darnell, and Ava Vitale are among the incoming cohort of 24 rising leaders for the Michigan Political Leadership Program.