Michael Parkin

Professor of Politics Michael Parkin contributed a chapter, "The Context for Comedy: Presidential Candidates and Comedy Television," to the edited volume Political Humor in a Changing Media Landscape. The chapter argues that contextual factors like timing, momentum, and legitimacy have been critically important in establishing the connection between presidential candidates and comedy television during the past few decades.  

Michael Parkin, professor of politics, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study candidate use of the internet during the 2018 congressional campaign. This is the fifth NSF grant that Parkin and his co-authors James N. Druckman (Northwestern) and Martin Kifer (High Point University) have been awarded for their work on congressional campaign behavior and its impact on voting and representation.

Michael Parkin, professor of politics, coauthored an article in the Social Science Computer Review on how congressional campaign insiders viewed and used the web in 2016. The article, titled "Resisting the Opportunity for Change," shows that congressional campaigning on the web is largely driven by stable factors that transcend technological advancements and shifts in the political environment.

Associate Professor of Politics Michael Parkin recently published a book titled Talk Show Campaigns: Presidential Candidates on Daytime and Late Night Television. The book explores the history and impact of candidate appearances on entertainment talk shows like The Tonight Show, The Daily Show, and The View. Parkin uses extensive data to show that these interviews are much more than a gimmick--they are a key part of how candidates communicate with voters. As such, they reveal a lot about how campaigns have changed over the past two decades.

Associate Professor of Politics Michael Parkin recently coauthored an article, “The Voting Rights Act and Latino Registration: Symbolic Assistance for English-Speaking Latinos,” which appears in The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. The paper shows that VRA provisions motivate English-speaking Latinos to register while having minimal impact on the registration intentions of Latinos who do not speak English. This suggests that the positive effects of VRA coverage are due to a “welcoming” symbolic effect, rather than substantial reductions in administrative barriers to registration.

Associate Professor of Politics Michael Parkin recently coauthored an article, “U.S. Congressional Campaigns in an Internet Age,” which appears in The Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties. The paper shows how candidate use of the Internet is driven by such political considerations as the potential loss of message control, the candidate’s status in the race, and the employment of campaign consultants.