Maxwell School News and Commentary

Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, and her co-author write about their takeaways from the 2020 Presidential elections, including the long-lasting impact of high voter turnout, the importance of candidate attributes even amidst partisan polarization, and the continued significance of survey research in understanding voting patterns and voter behavior.

"It may be the Democrats have yet to find the balance they need between the left wing of their party and the rest of it," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "Biden struggled to balance these two camps. Republicans beat expectations, and with a more ‘presidential’ candidate at the top of the ticket, they could be well positioned in 2024."

"If you are someone who already trusts the president and you trust him to handle the crisis, then you are both not as concerned as Democrats are and you're more willing to trust that he is the person who can keep you safe and keep the country safe from COVID," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.

"If we want people to feel comfortable enough to go back out to bars and restaurants, to travel, and to send their kids to school, we need to see a decline in cases, and people need to feel confident that their peers will behave responsibly for the greater good," says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion.

"As these last few weeks have shown us, the pandemic is not over," says Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, professor of economics. He says the recent surge in COVID-19 cases could lead to another round of business closures and job losses, potentially unwinding a portion of the labor market’s summer rebound.

The Cortland County flood map "might show a reasonable flood risk today, but since we don’t make those investment decisions with ramifications far into the future, the maps don’t really help us plan for a different climate," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science. "When we look at flood maps now, the conversations are about the insurance cost," Pralle says. Instead, "we have to get to the point where we talk about these things as risks and how to mitigate these things as well." Read more in the Cortland Standard article, "What Cortland County’s flood map does, and doesn’t, show." 

Polarization will also likely exist long after President Donald Trump has left the stage, says Jeffrey Stonecash, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science. "A fundamental argument coming out of the Democratic Party is that things are not fair. You have a Republican Party making a moral argument that’s fundamentally different...that it’s not about ‘fairness,’ it’s about who’s more deserving," he writes.