Politics

University at Buffalo faculty -- including earthquake engineering, disaster, trauma and communication experts -- are available to discuss the tragic earthquake in Haiti. A listing of the experts and their commentary is available at http://newstips.buffalo.edu.

Many Iranians are very upset at their government and that is the principle reason for what a number of observers have called the largest protests since the downfall of the Shah in 1979, although without press access it is difficult to accurately determine crowd size.

Their original promise, as well as much recent research, suggests that institutions of direct democracy -- ballot initiatives that permit citizens to enact or reject the laws at the polls independent of the lawmaking power of the governing body -- produce an environment that encourages better democratic citizenship.

University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to discuss holiday driving and shopping, Sarah Palin's book and the prevalence of "fringe groups," among other news topics.

The Obama administration's public attempt to pressure Gov. David Paterson into declaring that he will not seek election next year so that State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will more easily secure the Democratic gubernatorial nomination is "highly unusual and very risky," according to University at Buffalo political scientist James E. Campbell.

In a recent study, researchers from several universities looked at why white working-class voters voted Republican in recent national elections even when they didn't like Republican policies.

In a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry, sociologists from four major research institutions focus on one of the most curious aspects of the 2004 presidential election: the strength and resilience of the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Debra Street, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo, says the history of health care reform in the U.S. is "one of lost battles" for principled approaches to creating a health care system that delivers good health care to all.

A new book on the role American elections play in shaping how its citizens arrive at political opinions -- written by nationally known University at Buffalo Law School election expert James A. Gardner -- looks at the expectations shared by many Americans that political campaigns should shape what people think about the major political issues in the election.

Political scientists from the University at Buffalo and Texas State University have presented the first-ever comprehensive ranking of American states with regard to public policies affecting individual freedoms in the economic, social and personal spheres.