Political Science

Before 1962, political science at Rice meant a sole faculty member—in the history department. Today, according to the National Research Council, the Rice Department of Political Science is one of the nation’s finest.

The department ranks third in the amount of money received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for political science research and is number one in the amount of NSF funds received for doctoral dissertations.

The department prides itself on using statistical research to address pressing political issues. For example, a $400,000 NSF grant is enabling political scientist Richard Stoll and computer scientist Devika Subramanian to develop a computer system capable of predicting when and where international conflict will arise. The system will gather and collate data from international online news and information sources and will then compare those with records of past events to predict impending conflicts.

Many of our political science faculty members have earned national reputations in urban and Southern politics and in international conflict resolution. Current research includes the development of formal models to explain foreign policy decisions, computer simulation to study defense spending, and the politics of emerging democracies, all of which are especially germane to understanding today’s political landscape and formulating appropriate public policy.

In addition, there is frequent, in-depth crossover between the political science department, the economics department, and Rice’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy to produce research on international oil policy, urban economic development, the containment of international terrorism, and other issues. Since its inception in 1994, the Baker Institute has been a stellar resource for both departments, Rice students, and Houston. Not only does it bring world leaders and policy-makers to campus, but it acts as a living laboratory for the issues studied by social science faculty.