Jackman Explores Fundamental Tensions between Congress and the Presidency
According to his Stanford peers, Saul Jackman is well-versed in game theory, quantitative empirical methods, technical skills, and writing. It is a rare combination, and at least part of the reason he was awarded a postdoc position with CSDI for 2012-13.
While at Stanford, his reputation landed Jackman in the role of assistant mentor to other graduate students, which by all accounts is an assignment of distinction. He also held a position as a math instructor at summer math camp for incoming graduate students. Recently, Jackman was published in Transactions in GIS. He is also co-author of a forthcoming book he's written with William G. Howell and Jon Rogowski, The Wartime President (University of Chicago Press).
Scheduled to arrive at Vanderbilt in August, Jackman will be joined by Henry Wilberforce Cohn Jackman, his trusted Yorkshire Terrier, who will "definitely" be along for the ride. Unbeknownst to the Yorkie, he is the running for the first CSDI mascot, a race in which he is currently unopposed.
Name - Saul Jackman; Hometown - Davis, CA.; Undergraduate Degree - University of California, Berkeley; Areas of Research Interest - Formal Theory, Political Institutions, American Politics; Dissertation - "Inter-Branch Bargaining and Public Policy" Favorite Food - calamari, but he's always changing his mind; Best Vacation Spot - Anywhere with large spacious access to nature. Carmel and Napa are two favorites.
Finally, if the surname sounds familiar, it is no mistake. Jackman comes from a family of scientists. His father, the late Bob Jackman, was an international leader in the fields of comparative politics, comparative institutions, and political behavior. His mother, Mary Jackman, is a well- known educator and author in political sociology. His sister, Rachael, has a Ph.D. in immunology from Yale.
CSDI News and Announcements
5/25/2012 Josh Clinton and John Geer, Vanderbilt Poll Co-Directors, are set to appear on Openline! with Scott Arnold - Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 7:00-8:00 PM. CBS affiliate, WTVF, airs the show where viewers are allowed to call in their questions on current events. The recent Vanderbilt Poll, conducted May 2-9, will be the topic of discussion. The survey examined Tennesseans' view on the presidential race and the 2012 Tennessee Legislature. Check listings for appropriate channels.
5/7/2012 Is Europe undergoing a major political shift to the right or to the left? Neither, according to Larry Bartels, who theorizes that anytime a post recession election is held, voters will likely punish the incumbent party, whether that party leans to the left or the right. The New Statesman has more on Bartels, voters, and the French Presidential election of François Hollande.
5/7/12 Larry Bartels just became a catchphrase. New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman in his New York Times Op-Ed column today, uses the name to describe a particular political philosophy:
"This is very much a Larry Bartels world," Krugman writes, "in which voters toss out incumbents and reward insurgents if the economy is bad, never mind the specifics of their platforms." Read More
Americans Value Candidates' Negative Ads - Not Candidates' Promises
The general public finds it helpful to hear about a candidate's flip-flopping from the opposition, but the public does not respond well to vicious family assaults in campaign ads, according to CSDI Co-Director John G. Geer, whose post appears in YouGov.com today. Geer, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, has published extensively on the impact of negative ads which span the last half century. The research shows that the public sees merit in negative ads. "What they react against are unfair, personal attacks," Geer concludes. Among other findings, the research indicates that 56% of the public finds information in ads that show the inconsistencies in a candidate's positions on issues, as helpful information. 71% of the public finds a candidates projections of future governance as not helpful. An historical amount of negative ads will proliferate over the airwaves during this election cycle, Geer notes. "We have an increasingly polarized political system, two presidential nominees with obvious flaws, and the rise of Super PACs—a near perfect recipe for lots and lots of attack ads." Read more
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