Social Science, Presidential Campaigns and Political Reporting

A Symposium

Monday, 04 Feb 2013 at 9:00 am – South Ballroom, Memorial Union

The Harkin Institute of Public Policy will bring together scholars for this day-long symposium focused on the 2012 elections. Why did the elections go the way they did and what do they mean for public policy in the future? Participants include: John Sides, an associate professor of political science at George Washington University and blogger at The Monkey Cage; Lynn Vavreck, an associate professor of political science at UCLA and author of The Message Matters; Joanne Miller, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota and expert on survey methodology with the Humphrey Institute; Scott McClurg, an associate professor of political science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; and Seth Masket, an associate professor of political science at the University of Denver, author of No Middle Ground, and a regular political blogger.

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Symposium Schedule

9:15 a.m., Welcome and opening comments
Dave Peterson, Interim Director, Harkin Institute of Public Policy, Iowa State University

9:30 - 10:30 a.m., Experiments in Messaging: Insights from Psychology
Joanne Miller, University of Minnesota

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., What We Don't Know about Campaign Mobilization
Scott McClurg, Southern Illinois University

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Did the 2012 Ground Game Matter?
Seth Masket, University of Denver

2:30 – 4:00 p.m., Did Obama's Campaign Win Him the Election?
John Sides, George Washington University, and Lynn Vavreck, University of California, Los Angeles

8:00 p.m., How New Campaign Styles Win Elections
Great Hall, Memorial Union
Ryan Lizza, New Yorker, and Sasha Issenberg, Slate.com

Cosponsored By:

• Harkin Institute of Public Policy
• Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)