The Science of Politics
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The Science of Politics is a news podcast hosted by Niskanen Center. It has 219 episodes, with the latest published April 2026.
The Niskanen Center’s The Science of Politics podcast features up-and-coming researchers delivering fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics today. Get beyond punditry to data-driven understanding of today’s Washington with host and political scientist Matt Grossmann. Each 30-45-minute episode covers two new cutting-edge studies and interviews two researchers.We welcome your thoughts on this episode and the podcast as a whole. Please send feedback or suggestions to [email protected]
news ·en ·219 episodes
Can corporate scandals reinvigorate democracy?
The intellectual support for Trumpism
What Predicts Midterm Election Results?
Legislators are raising money instead of making policy
Can AI ‘vibe research’ replace social science?
How authoritarian parenting attitudes explain our political divides
Which groups win policy under each party?
How media incentives stoked the culture war
Who now directs spending: Congress or the president?
The backlash presidency
How the money chase governs our elections
The Supreme Court is enabling Trump’s executive power
The future of the democratic party
Will partisan redistricting tip Congress?
The fall of an independent Fed
Making AI policy: Are we falling behind or rushing in?
Is democracy failing education?
Reconciliation and rescission
How the president gained war powers
If we don’t like polarizing politicians, why do we get them?
Building a science of political progress
The backstory for presidential power grabs
Can liberals stop Trump in the courts?
How the 1st term trade war hurt Trump
Is Trump redirecting or deconstructing the administrative state?
Are the parties too focused on policy programs?
How policymakers and experts failed the COVID test
Can judicial review stop a lawless executive?
Why some Latinos support the Trump immigration agenda
Counterproductive interest group polarization
How racial realignment ignited the culture war
Threats to democracy in the 2nd Trump administration
Why Asian Americans did not swing to Harris
What the Trump nominations and transition foretell
Will Trump have unilateral power or just pretend he does?
Class, race, gender, and the 2024 election
Can we believe the polls?
Are Black voters moving to Trump?
How 'Woke' Are We?
How the campaigns battle for electoral college victory
How the diploma divide transformed American politics
Are American parties reviving or hollow?
What research on Black women candidates means for Kamala Harris
Can American identity reduce partisan animosity?
How think tanks drive polarization and policy
White racial sympathy
The impact of policy misinformation
When third parties matter
Why foreign policy is still bipartisan
Does the Biden economy have bad election timing or an unfair fed?
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