Professor Dr. Christopher Wlezien

Biography

Christopher Wlezien is the Hogg Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. His ongoing research develops a 'thermostatic' model of public opinion and policy, focusing on the dynamic interrelationships between preferences and budgetary policy domains. He conducts cross-national investigations, with a notable subject being his book titled 'Degrees of Democracy' published in 2009. Wlezien has edited a related volume, 'Who Gets Represented?' in 2011. He has tested theories regarding the effects of federalism and electoral systems across 17 countries in his paper 'Political Institutions and the Opinion-Policy Link' published in 2012. His major research area includes the evolution of voter preferences as expressed in pre-election polls throughout the election cycle, culminating in various articles and a book entitled 'The Timeline of Presidential Elections' in 2012. His current work involves a cross-national analysis of political institutions and voter preferences across 300 elections in 45 countries. Wlezien joined the University of Texas at Austin in 2013, having previously taught at Temple University and Oxford University, where he was a Reader in Comparative Government and Fellow at Nuffield College. He has held visiting positions at various prestigious institutions and received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 1989.

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Awards