A female student holding a microphone towards another female student to ask questions at a political debate.

Department of Political Science News

The Department of Political Science is dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and service. Our students learn and receive mentorship from faculty members who specialize in various subjects including American politics, comparative politics, international politics, political theory, public law, and public policy.

Current Political Science News

UNLV seasonal eggs
Campus News |

A collection of colorful headlines featuring UNLV staff and students.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

spring flowers
Campus News |

The rosiest headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Portrait of UNLV alumnus Zachary Billot
People |

With resilience and resolve, award adds to Billot's legacy as one of UNLV’s most academically decorated graduates.

A rear view of UNLV students, dressed in red caps and gowns, filtering into the Thomas & Mack Center with the stage in the background
Campus News |

An enduring UNLV end-of-semester tradition is to highlight exceptional students who embody the academic, research, and community impact of the graduating class.

UNLV XMAS
Campus News |

This month’s frosty headlines and highlights from the students and faculty of UNLV.

Political Science In The News

Nevada Current

Local elected officials, planning and transportation representatives along with developers gathered Thursday around a central question: how do we address Southern Nevada’s ongoing housing shortage?

Nevada Independent

One-third of Nevada lawmakers who report owning rental properties did not disclose receiving income from them — which could be a violation of campaign finance disclosure laws if they are making money from them.

Axios

The administration's strategy reflects the evolving ways Americans digest news. Traditional outlets' readership and viewership have dropped, while some podcasters and upstart websites reach millions of people.

Brookings

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its third year, continues to be a focal point of attention for the people of Taiwan. This is because, at the time of the Russian invasion, many were concerned that the Taiwan Strait was another geopolitical hot spot where war might erupt.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Many are raising concerns over President Trump's recent executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, labeling it as unconstitutional and beyond the scope of the executive branch's authority. Dr. Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, weighed in on the issue.

KSNV-TV: News 3

President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, and both sides of the aisle were fired up for different reasons.

Political Science Experts

An expert on judges, judicial selection, and race and gender bias.
A political scientists specializing in international relations, security, and terrorism.
An expert in the politics of Europe and other democracies.
An expert in political philosophy, and the intersection of politics and religion.
An expert on Latin American politics, with a focus on NAFTA and the Mexican and North American automobile industry.
An expert in international security, immigration and refugee policies, and political violence.

Recent Political Science Accomplishments

Camila Salgado (Political Science), a Hixson-Lied Scholar, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain for the 2025-2026 academic year. Sponsored by the U.S.-Spain Fulbright Commission and the Gobierno de Canarias, Salgado will live and work in the Canary Islands, assisting in English language classrooms and supporting…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) publish a co-authored article, "Diversifying channels or diversifying information? Panel data analysis of polarization in the contentious pension reform" in Information, Communication, & Society. Through the case of a highly polarized pension reform in Taiwan, this article found out…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) publish an article, "Political Opportunity Structure Conditions the Legacy of Political Violence" in Journal of Conflict Resolution. In this article, Wang offers a new theory to reconcil previous findings on the legacies of political violence. Through the analysis of election results and a…
Isabelle Graham (Economics; Brookings Mountain West; The Lincy Institute) and Zachary Billot (Political Science ’24) will represent Nevada and California respectively at the 2025 Western Governors' Leadership Institute (WGLI) Annual Meeting. The WGLI is a prestigious program developed by the Western Governors' Association to…
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) published a policy report, "The war in Ukraine is influencing how Taiwanese think about conflict," in Brookings. In this report, Wang summarizes recent academic publications on Taiwanese willingness to fight, and how the ongoing Ukraine crisis influences the public opinion in Taiwan. 
Dan Lee and Tanner Bates (Political Science) published an article, "Explaining Variation in the Use of Electoral Fusion," in American Politics Research. The article analyzes fusion candidacies (minor party cross-nominations of major party candidates) in U.S. congressional elections in New York from 1978 to 2018. The authors highlight the impact of…