Program in the Cross-National Study of Politics

Program in the Cross-National Study of Politics – Established in 1998, this Program, directed by Professor Robert Harmel, promotes the cross-national research and activities of the Comparative Politics faculty and graduate students. The primary vehicle is workshops, organized by faculty around their special research interests or broader interests of concern to comparativists generally, and drawing participants both from other U.S. institutions and often internationally as well. In the Fall of 2007, for instance, the Program will support “The Second Regional Latin Americanist Conference” (the first was hosted here as well) and a workshop on “The State of the Global Welfare State: Research and Data Collection Issues.” Additionally, the Program provides logistical and other in-kind support to events and activities co-sponsored with the European Union Center of Excellence and with the China initiatives of the college and the university, and the Program’s director was the department’s original liaison with the European Union Center and has played a leadership role in development of The China Archive at Texas A&M University (a university-wide project) and of The China Survey (a college-wide project). The Program also maintains a portion of the Department’s website, with sections on future and past events, subsequent publications associated with past events, and links to important data sets (maintained by Professor Alex Pacek).