Upon entering graduate school, my plan was simple: land a tenure-track job at a university, and live the life of the mind. An old Volvo would carry me to campus each day. I would stride the leafy grounds wearing a turtleneck and a shabby-chic sports jacket with a smoking pipe jutting from my mouth. Students […]
First We Kill All the Policy Wonks
The blog of the American Enterprise Institute carries my impishly titled, “First We Kill All the Policy Wonks” (January 21, 2011). The piece is a response to a smart post by Mike Konczal, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. Its subject? Edward C. Banfield’s essay, Policy Science As Metaphysical Madness (1977). Obviously, I do not […]
So You Want to Get a Ph.D. in Political ...
Some time back, I wrote of the problems of American political science. A colleague (and political scientist) sent along this video, which, though harsh and over the top, does hit upon some of the same themes. View it and weep.
New York Times’ Story on Political Scien
As a political scientist, I confess having many criticisms of the field as undertaken in the U.S. What this New York Times‘ article touches upon is fundamental: what good is political science? Truth be told, much of what is done by academics in political science departments is useless nonsense. It’s scholars asking questions about articles […]