Global Center for Political Management
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.
Our Research Projects
Battleground Poll
The George Washington University’s Battleground Poll is a nationally recognized series of surveys conducted by Republican pollster Ed Goeas and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. GSPM serves as the home for the project and also provides valuable insight into survey development and dissemination.
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 seeks to research and teach how to use big data to spur collaborative action and make democracy work.
Society of Presidential Pollsters
From FDR to Barack Obama, Presidents of the United States have established unique and private relationships with their pollsters. The Society seeks to archive and examine the role public opinion plays in shaping decision-making strategy in the White House.
Selected Research and Publications
In addition to our research projects, our Global Center for Political Engagement serves as a repository of valuable data, host for important speakers, and provider of opportunities for students to learn from experts in the field.
Dr. Lara Brown, Political Management, Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism of Aspirants (Cambria Press, 2010)
Dr. Matt Dallek, Political Management, Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security (Oxford University Press, 2016)
Dr. Matt Dallek, Political Management, The Right Moment: Ronald Reagan's First Victory and the Decisive Turning Point in American Politics (Free Press, 2000; Oxford University Press, 2004)
Dr. Dennis W. Johnson (emeritus), ed., Political Management, Campaigning for President 2012: Strategy and Tactics (Routledge, 2013)
Dr. Steven Billet, Legislative Affairs, “The Rise and Impact of Monster PACs,” in Dennis Johnson, Routledge Handbook on Political Management (Routledge, 2008)
