Department of Political Science

Economic shocks both busts and, lest we forget, booms matter for elections. The aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 pushes us to reflect anew on how politics responds to ups and downs in business cycles. In response to the crisis, researchers have examined the responses implemented by national policy-makers, the constraints imposed on such actions by national and international institutions, and the public's reaction. The articles appearing in this special symposium, Fat Politics, Lean Politics: Political Survival in Good and Bad Economic Times, speak to this growing body of post-crisis research in political science.