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Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy

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Wendy J. Schiller

Director, Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, Alison S. Ressler Professor of Political Science, Professor of International and Public Affairs
wendy_schiller@brown.edu
Department Political Science

Biography

Wendy Schiller is the Howard R. Swearer Interim Director of the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, professor of political science, professor of international and public affairs and director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy at Brown University. 

Schiller did her undergraduate work in political science at the University of Chicago, served on the staffs of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo, and then earned her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. After fellowships at the Brookings Institute and Princeton University, she came to Brown in 1994. She teaches popular courses, including The American Presidency, Introduction to the American Political Process, and Congress and Public Policy.

Among the books she has authored or co-authored are "Inequality Across State Lines: How Policymakers Have Failed Domestic Violence Victims in the United States" (Cambridge University Press), "Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment" (Princeton University Press), "Gateways to Democracy: An Introduction to American Government" (Cengage), "The Contemporary Congress" (Thomson-Wadsworth) and "Partners and Rivals: Representation in U.S. Senate Delegations" (Princeton University Press). She has also published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Studies in American Political Development and the Journal of Politics.

Schiller has contributed to MSNBC, NPR, CNN.com and Bloomberg News. She provides local political commentary to the Providence Journal, WPRO radio and RIPBS's "A Lively Experiment" and is the political analyst for WJAR10, the local NBC affiliate in Providence. 

Research

Wendy Schiller’s scholarship focuses on representation in American politics. Most recently, she has worked with Charles Stewart III on the Senate Elections Data Project 1871-1913, which is a study of the indirect election of US Senators in state legislatures (1871-1913) and the impact of the adoption of the 17th Amendment. The study is the basis of our book, Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment (Princeton University Press, 2014).

Publications

2023

Inequality Across State Lines: How Policymakers Have Failed Domestic Violence Victims in the United States, co-authored with Kaitlin Sidorsky.

2014

Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth  Amendment, co-authored with Charles Stewart III.

2013

"U.S. Senate Elections before the 17th Amendment: Political Party Cohesion and Conflict 1871–1913.” Co-authored with Charles Stewart (MIT) and Benjamin Xiong (Brown University). Journal of Politics 75 No.3: 835-837.

“Resolved the filibuster should be abolished (Con argument).”  (Revised from earlier version) Chapter 14. In Debating Reform: Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System. Eds. Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson. CQ Press. 254-262.

Gateways to Democracy:  An Introduction to American Government, Essentials. Co-author with John G. Geer, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Dana K. Glencross. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
1st Edition, January 2011. (640 pages)
2nd Edition, January 2013 (640 pages)
3rd Edition, January 2015 forthcoming

“The 100th Anniversary of the 17th Amendment: A Promise Unfulfilled?” co-authored with Charles Stewart (MIT). Issues in Governance Studies No. 59:1-12. Washington DC: Brookings Institution

2012

“Howard Baker’s Leadership in the U.S. Senate:  Lessons in Persuasion, Civility, and Success.”  Baker Center Journal of Applied Public Policy Vol. IV, No. 2: 28-48.

2011

"Senate Delegation Dynamics in an Age of Party Polarization." Co-author with Jennifer C. Cassidy. The Forum Vol. 9: Iss. 4, Article 7.

"Development of Congressional Elections" in The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress, Eds. Frances Lee and Eric Schickler. Oxford University Press.

Teaching

POLS 0010 Introduction to the American Political Process

POLS 0820L  Philosophy of the American Founding

POLS 1130 The American Presidency

POLS 2090I American and Comparative Political Behavior

Recent News

The New York Times

In Chaotic Rhode Island Primary, 11 Democrats Vie for a House Seat (comments by Wendy Schiller)

September 5, 2023
Wendy Schiller comments for the New York Times, “There are a lot of groups that have been excluded from power that are now vying for power successfully, and you wonder how it can all be harnessed."
Read Article
Bloomberg Government

What to Know in Washington: Democrats Run Tests in Rhode Island (comments by Wendy Schiller)

September 1, 2023
Wendy Schiller comments for Bloomberg Government “This race can give us hints about the persistent battle in the Democratic Party between White very liberal progressives and candidates of color.”
Read Article
Rhode Island Current

Carlson exit from CD1 race reignites debate over R.I. early voting provisions (comments by Wendy Schiller)

August 31, 2023
Wendy Schiller comments for Rhode Island Current, “In voting early, you take a risk. But typically, the voters that are going to take the time to vote and vote early are doing so because they have such a strong preference.”
Read Article
The Tape Podcast

GOP Debate, Nvidia, Russia, and Subway (interview with Wendy Schiller)

August 25, 2023
In an interview with The Tape podcast, Wendy Schiller discusses the GOP debate.
Read Article
Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast

Evercore’s Emanuel Sees AI Driving US Exceptionalism (interview with Wendy Schiller)

August 21, 2023
In an interview with Bloomberg Surveillance, Wendy Schiller provided commentary on the state of Trump and his supporters leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
Read Article
Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast

US adds 187,000 Jobs (interview with Wendy Schiller)

August 7, 2023
In an episode of Bloomberg's Surveillance podcast, Wendy Schiller discusses indictments against former President Donald Trump.
Read Article
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