Campbell Institute News

Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science, says Republican opposition to climate change evidence and advocacy is not new. What's different now, she says, is that "they have a bigger platform and megaphone in the voice of Donald Trump" and the executive power to disrupt federal scientists' work.

Margaret S. Thompson, associate professor of history and political science, believes the nearly 3 million women and men who came out to Women's Marches nationwide will impact the future. “If even 10% of those actually become actively involved, in talking with their representative and lobbying for policies that they think are important, we’re going to see some remarkable change.”

University Professor Sean O’Keefe says that the new administration faces challenges such as standardizing information technology, the consequences of budget decisions and talent acquisition.

"I think a good working definition of civility is a baseline of respect that we owe one another in public life, and that has long been the definition of civility," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science.

"By voting against the repeal bill last week, Katko can maintain a fig leaf of independence, while doing nothing to actually stop his Republican colleagues from enacting policies that will be disastrous for his constituents," writes Thomas M. Keck, the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law & Politics.

"Anti-SAFE Act signs still dot the upstate countryside...That speaks to the 'cultural differences' that often lead to very different voting patterns in upstate and downstate communities," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, about Upstate New York opposition to Governor Cuomo's gun-control law.

“More information cannot easily be provided (to) the public—the classification is required to preserve the secrecy of the sources and methods we used to learn about the hacking,” says William Banks, professor of public administration and international affairs. “It creates a dilemma that is difficult to resolve.”

Elizabeth Cohen, professor of political science, says it won't be easy for Trump to withhold money from sanctuary cities as there are numerous conditions, privacy laws and civil rights protections he will need to navigate.

Given how nasty and intractable the conflicts in our society can be, Keith Bybee, professor of political science, argues that it is naïve to imagine we can somehow transcend our clashing sets of values and miraculously agree on what counts as acceptable behavior and tolerable opinion.

University Professor Sean O'Keefe notes that there will always be tensions that accompany presidential transitions.

Thomas Keck, professor of political science, spoke on the political beneficiaries of free expression jurisprudence worldwide

According to Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher, "watching the transition so far, it is a continuation of what we saw during the campaign: the normal rules are not being followed, and he is rewriting the expectations and the rule book as he goes.” 

Grant Reeher is featured in the Washington Examiner article, where he analyzes the effect of Trump's political maneuvering " According to Reeher, "He [Trump] needs to both challenge the status quo and be able to work within it in order to succeed.

The INSCT project—Law and Policy of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles—was awarded $68,248. The project will develop a policy and legal framework that supports the use of various types of unmanned aerial systems throughout the state, while ensuring public safety, protecting civil liberties and promoting industrial growth. 

Sean O’Keefe, University Professor, says what President-elect Donald Trump is doing, by targeting specific federal contracts, is unheard-of, in a Politico article.