Dr. Ray Block

Biography

Ray Block is the Brown-McCourtney Career Development Professor and McCourtney Institute Professor in the Department of Political Science and African American Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He earned his bachelor's degrees in philosophy and political science from Howard University, followed by master's and doctoral degrees in political science from Ohio State University. His research interests include racial, ethnic, and gender differences in civic involvement, the formation and mutability of social identity, as well as campaigns and elections. Block's recent work examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ongoing social inequality in the United States. He is a senior analyst with the African American Research Collaborative, a group of community-engaged pollsters, scholars, and researchers dedicated to enhancing public discourse on African American civic engagement. Additionally, from 2023 to 2028, Block will be working at the RAND Corporation as the Michael D. Rich Distinguished Chair, focusing on countering truth decay.

Research Interests