Political Science

Political Science at Brown University

The Political Science department enjoys a reputation for intellectual pluralism, creativity and research productivity.

Political Science is one of the largest and most dynamic concentrations at Brown. Undergraduates gain skill in critical thinking, empirical analysis, and normative inquiry, preparing them for leadership careers in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. Our doctoral program features close interaction with professors and offers state-of-the art training in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.

The department is enriched by its close ties to key research centers, institutes, and programs at Brown, including the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, Modern Culture and Media, Cogut Institute for the Humanities, and Urban Studies.

The department graduates approximately 75 undergraduate concentrators annually, making it one of the larger social science concentrations at Brown.
Brown's community of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and faculty members in political science is a close and collegial one.
Brown's Political Science faculty are deeply committed to excellence in both undergraduate teaching and graduate training.

Recent News

News WWC

Why Wages Fell and Profits Surged

February has been punctuated by record shattering profit announcement, and its becoming increasingly obvious corporations are using emergencies — such as the pandemic, supply chain disruption, or gas shortages — as an excuse to raise gains.

Analysts are only just beginning to lay out the pattern, but in case you were wondering why stuff like peanut butter and cola got so expensive: it’s because big corporations are hiking prices by double-digit figures and making record profits, not because people are buying too much of it.

To those who actually buy stuff this may not seem like a groundbreaking insight, and yet for the past nine months, the European Central Bank (ECB), responsible for keeping prices level, has increased interest rates, making it even harder for people to buy things, while letting corporate profits — the main driver of inflation — off the hook.

This puts further pressure on disposable income, which despite massive government support schemes — estimated at €800bn in 2022 alone — fell by 2.9 percent last year; 6.9 percent in Greece and 3.1 percent in Germany, where it fell for the third year in a row.

The question is, why? Why do we suppress wages while letting let profits rip? To put it in historical perspective: in the 1970s, nearly 70 percent of economic output went to employees, with just over 20 percent going to profits. Now, labour’s share stands at 56 percent with a third going to profits.

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Political Science
Brown University

111 Thayer Street
Third Floor
Providence, RI 02912

Phone 401-863-2825
Fax 401-863-7018
brownupolisci@brown.edu

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