Research
GSPM's Research Hub
The Graduate School of Political Management seeks to determine how today’s campaigns, candidates, and causes are succeeding in advancing their mission. Our applied politics, advocacy, and communications research, conducted in conjunction with strategic partners in the arena, is set to serve as benchmarks for the political and advocacy campaigns of the future.
Meet Our Experts
Our full-time faculty are seasoned researchers studying the latest tools, techniques, and strategies that are making an impact in the fields of politics, communications, and advocacy. They've also spent time in politics as Congressional staffers, White House appointees, lobbyists, and campaign professionals.
Dr. Todd Belt
Political Management Program Director; Professor
Research Interests: The Presidency, Campaigns and Elections, Mass Media and Politics, Public Opinion
Dr. Casey Burgat
Program Director, Legislative Affairs; Associate Professor
Research Interests: Congress, Congressional Reform, Congressional Rules and Procedures
Dr. Matt Dallek
Professor of Political Management
Research Interests: Presidential History, Homeland Security Politics, Republican Party Politics, Congress
Dr. Natalia Dinello
Global Residencies Program Director; Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Global Politics, Multilateral Organizations, Intergovernmental Relations, Eastern European/Russian Politics
Lesley Lopez
Program Director, Public Relations and Communications; Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Media relations, digital storytelling, content creation, inclusive strategic communications and coalition building, and writing.
Our Research Projects
The GW GPA Study
The 2023 inaugural GW Government and Public Affairs (GPA) Study gathered input from federal, state and private sector communicators, as well as communications professionals who engage with the government on behalf of corporations and nonprofit associations. The groundbreaking research report explores government communications and lack of trust in the community.
GW Polling Project
The GW Politics Poll is a nationally recognized series of surveys conducted by YouGov and managed by GSPM, the GW School of Media and Public Affairs, and the Department of Political Science at the GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences.
The Mark Penn Presidential Pollsters Event
From FDR onward to Barack Obama, Presidents of the United States have established unique and private relationships with their pollsters. The Eventseeks to archive and examine the role public opinion plays in shaping decision-making strategy in the White House.
- Past Research Projects
PEORIA Project
The Graduate School of Political Management’s PEORIA Project seeks to quantify how voters react to campaign messages. Working with several data partners, GSPM researchers are discovering how messages reach the electorate; how those messages are being received and passed on through individuals’ personal networks; and who is getting the most “mainstream” and “social” media traction and converting it to action.
The Shenkman Initiative: Applying Big Data for Political Success
The latest innovation to enter the campaign manager’s tool chest is “big data,” the computational and analytic processes keyed to large quantities of information about citizens. This initiative sought to research and teach how to use big data to spur collaborative action and make democracy work.
Selected Research and Publications
- Archive: Selected Research and Publications
Below is a selection of past published works from our faculty.
Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism of Aspirants
Dr. Lara Brown explores the role that opportunism plays in running and winning presidential elections. (Cambria Press, 2010)
Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security
Dr. Matt Dallek explores the tensions around homeland security during the Second World War. (Oxford University Press, 2016)
Routledge Handbook of Political Management
Dr. Steve Billet is the author of "The Rise and Impact of Monster PACs" in this seminal volume on the profession of politics. (Routledge, 2008)
Democracy for Hire: A History of American Political Consulting
GSPM Professor Emeritus Dennis Johnson is the author of the definitive book on the history of the American political consulting industry.
Campaigning for President 2016: Strategy and Tactics
Dr. Lara Brown and Professor Emeritus Dennis Johnson edited an examination of the 2016 presidential campaign by experts in the field.
Shaping International Public Opinion: A Model for Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy
Program Director Larry Parnell authored a chapter on "Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy, and Corporate Social Responsibility."
The Post-Heroic Presidency: Leveraged Leadership in an Age of Limits
Program Director Todd Belt examines presidents of the 20th and 21st centuries who developed a sophisticated approach to deal with the recalibration of American power.
the Presidency and Domestic Policy: Comparing Leadership Styles, FDR to Obama
Program Director Todd Belt examines the first terms of every president from FDR to Barack Obama and assesses the leadership style and policy agenda of each in this book.