Purdue Political Science Research

Political Science uses scientific inquiry to study political institutions, policymaking, civic culture, and political behavior.  Our research examines how these forces shape covernance, accountability, conflict, security, and other social outcomes. 

Addressing complex issues calls for bold, open, and interdisciplinary research. Purdue political scientists collaborate on policy-relevant projects with campus partners including The  Methodology Center at Purdue, the Integrative Data Science Initiative, the Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement, the Purdue Policy Research Institute, the Institute for a Sustainable Future and the Institute for Physical AI. 

Purdue Political Science faculty, postdocs, and graduate students have access to the Joe and Maggie Kernan Experimental Social Science Lab (JMK Lab), a dedicated facility run jointly by the Departments of Sociology and Political Science.  The JMK Lab offers space and equipment to run experiments and to conduct and record interviews and focus groups, along with access to an undergratuate participant pool. Researchers can collect physiological measures, use virtual reality headsets, and also work with 3D printers, which makes a wide range of experimental manipulations possible. Few political science programs offer access to a facility like this. 

Explore our new labs, programs, and recent research!