Tatyana I. Zaslavskaya, an economic sociologist known for telling harsh truths about the state of the Soviet Union and a researcher whose views came to influence Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s economic policies, died on Aug. 23 in Moscow. … Ms. Zaslavskaya was a founder of the All-Union Center for the Study […] Read more »
Do Americans want U.S. Intervention in Syria? What the Polls Really Mean
With the Obama administration contemplating an air strike against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons, several news stories have suggested the American public would be against such action. But, as usual, the polls that underlie these conclusions are highly misleading. The truth is the public is highly unengaged […] Read more »
Paul Herrnson joins UConn faculty as new director of Roper Center
For Paul Herrnson, one of the foremost experts on the American political process, joining the University of Connecticut faculty as the new director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is a natural fit. … Herrnson, who comes to UConn from the University of Maryland, where he was director […] Read more »
Kantar acquires Benenson Strategy Group
WPP announces that Kantar, its wholly owned data investment management business, has acquired The Benenson Strategy Group (“BSG”), a global strategic research and consulting firm. Founded in 2000, BSG ran the award-winning research and polling programs for President Obama’s 2008 and 20012 campaigns and has advised 11 Prime Ministers and […] Read more »
6 Things Losing Candidates Say
It’s August of an odd-numbered year, but the 2014 cycle is heating up. That means dozens of candidates are visiting us at The Rothenberg Political Report and Roll Call in anticipation of the midterm elections. Some of them will win, but most will lose. So we’ve started taking notes on […] Read more »
Presidential Election Forecasting: Frontiers and Controversies
This roundtable discussion, “Presidential Election Forecasting: Frontiers and Controversies, ” held Aug. 8, 2013, featured five prominent scholars who discussed various aspects of forecasting — both substantive and methodological — and placed the “forecasting game” into the broader context of studying elections. The speakers were: Simon Jackman, of Stanford University; […] Read more »