As the calendar year begins to wind down, we take a look back at our most-read articles from 2018. We encourage you to take a quiet moment for another look as you may have missed an article or may simply enjoy the re-read. Please take a moment to share what you would like to see more of in the new year. Interested in seeing your work here? Send us a note with your ideas or submit an application to serve as a blogger for the 2019 MPSA conference.
- What 18,000 Declassified Documents (and a Computer) Reveal About the Credibility of Signals During Crises Eric Min of Stanford University provides an overview of this year’s Robert H. Durr Award-winning research on the credibility of private and public statements during the Berlin Crisis.
- The Public Expert: How Academics Can Break the Ivory Tower Stereotype #MPSA18 Chicago-blogger Alex Ellison of MENTEE provides an overview of a popular professional development session on public engagement.
- Blue Wave, Red Wave; What Wave? No Wave Ahead of the U.S. midterm election, Chapman Rackaway of the University of West Georgia lobbied to end using the word “wave” to mean overwhelming success.
- MPSA Roundtable – Using Experiments in Political Science A popular recap of a conference session discussing the implications of experimental research.
- Do Academics Stink at Work/Life Balance? Alex Ellison of MENTEE shares lessons learned during a professional development session at the 2018 conference on finding and keeping a work-life balance.
- All Male Panels Erode Citizens’ Perceptions of Democratic Legitimacy Amanda Clayton, Diana Z. O’Brien, and Jennifer M. Piscopo highlight their Sophonisba Breckinridge Award-winning research on gender-balanced decision-making bodies.
- The New Political Scientists—We’re Live, We’re Nationwide, and We’re Online Michael A. Smith, Emporia State University offers a retrospective on the increased use of technology by political science scholars noted at the annual conference.
- Chicago Tips and Recommendations from a Graduate Student Charmaine N. Willis offered her pre-conference tips for those visiting Chicago.
- What George Washington Really Meant About Political Parties — and Why It Matters Michael A. Smith of Emporia State University takes a deep-dive on the source of America’s party system.
- Blue is Black and Red is White? Affective Polarization and the Racialized Schemas of U.S. Party Coalitions Nicholas A. Valentino and Kirill Zhirkov provide an overview of their Best Paper in Political Behavior Award-winning research.