Professor to study electoral politics in England

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Dr. Neal Jesse, an associate professor of political science at Bowling Green State University, will spend fall semester teaching and conducting research in England as the Hallsworth Visiting Professor of Political Economy at the University of Manchester.

The position was created under the terms of a gift made in 1944 by the Rt. Hon. Lord Simon of Wythenshawe, of Didsbury, to promote research and teaching in the social sciences.

Jesse was named to the prestigious position after being appointed a visiting research fellow at Manchester. His research has centered on comparative politics, especially British and Irish party and electoral systems. While there, he will study strategic voting in European elections.

According to Jesse, results of the European study will be applicable to the United States, in that the American electoral system is based on the British “winner takes all“ model.

“The difference is that there they have more parties and more frequent elections,” the political scientist said. In both countries, however, “the system does not inspire you to vote.”

A new area of Jesse's research is political belief systems. He said he is pleased to be able to work with Dr. David Jackson, a BGSU assistant professor of political science who will be in Dublin, Ireland. Together they are examining the effects of celebrity endorsements on college-age voters' political beliefs, which Jackson has studied in Canada. Their expanded study will survey college-age students throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Jesse holds a doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles. He has taught at BGSU since 1999.

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(Posted August 10, 2006 )