Analysis on public sentiment, regulatory trends, persuasion, and campaigns.
In political theory, two dominant models attempt to explain how power and public policy are shaped within a democracy. The first is pluralism, the idea that a diverse array of interest groups competes within the political arena, with policies emerging as a compromise...
Rarely do I read an academic study that terrifies me. Well...unfortunately my colleague sent me a study that sent chills down my spine. The future is here, and we aren't likely to be prepared for it. As we have written before, persuasion is hard. If you’ve ever...
"Ok, enough about polarization. Got anything else?" Leave it to a friend to let you know when you’ve beaten a dead horse. Fine, I went to see Wicked last weekend with my daughter, wife, and another 50 or so theater kids. As is tradition, I leaned over during the show...
News Deserts and Civic Erosion: The Consequences of Losing Local Journalism Local newspapers are closing at an alarming rate. Not only are they disappearing, but many are also merging or consolidating operations (looking at you Gannett). Since 2005,...
Introduction to Polarization I’ve written about polarization many times over the past year. It’s one of the most significant factors in U.S. politics today, if not the most. Typically, I focus on one individual study or paper, but today I want to zoom out and examine...
Introduction: Why Fast Results Aren’t Always Realistic A potential client reached out a few months ago with a challenging request: they wanted us to “change minds… fast.” After a deeper dive, it became clear they were really hoping to quickly alter a specific, public...
Alright, listen up, you knuckleheaded jerkfaces—political debates today aren’t exactly shining examples of polite discourse. They’ve turned into verbal cage matches where name-calling, trash talk, owning each other after destroying each other, and cheap shots are just...
Introduction Before and after every election cycle, I revisit a particular academic paper by Hans Noel. Written in 2010, it continues to hold up remarkably well, probably because it challenges all the flashy, data-driven assumptions that dominate political talk today....
I’ve gotten myself into trouble before with sweeping statements like, “Policy doesn’t matter...It’s the emotions, stupid!” Off-stage or after a classroom lecture, I always end up regretting after I do it because, well, it just sounds wrong—like I’m ignoring all the...
