John D. Griffin

Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Notre Dame

"Political Parties and Democracy: The Case of the American South"

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
12:30 pm - C103 Hesburgh Center

Abstract

We argue that a mature system of political parties is essential for effective democracy. Specifically, a mature party system promotes accountability by helping citizens to choose elected officials wisely and to sanction wayward officials effectively.

We show that the emergence of a mature party system in the American South in the 20th century led to more democratic attitudes, behaviors, and conditions in the South

Biography

John D. Griffin is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. He specializes in the study of political equality within American political institutions, particularly the US Congress. He is the coauthor of Minority Report: Evaluating Political Equality in America (University of Chicago Press, forthcoming). His work also has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and several edited volumes. With John Aldrich, he is writing a book on the failure of political representation in the American South. Griffin holds a JD from the University of Colorado School of Law and a PhD from Duke University.