Wendy J. Schiller
Professor of Political Science
Chair of Political Science
Wendy Schiller is Professor of Political Science, Professor of International and Public Affairs, and Chair of Political Science at Brown University. She did her undergraduate work in political science at the University of Chicago, served on the staffs of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo, and then earned her PhD from the University of Rochester. After fellowships at the Brookings Institution and Princeton University, she came to Brown in 1994. She teaches popular courses titled The American Presidency, Introduction to the American Political Process, and Congress and Public Policy.
Among books she has authored or co-authored are Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment (Princeton University Press), Gateways to Democracy: An Introduction to American Government (Cengage), The Contemporary Congress (Thomson-Wadsworth), and Partners and Rivals: Representation in U.S. Senate Delegations (Princeton University Press). She has also published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Studies in American Political Development, and the Journal of Politics.
Schiller has been a contributor to MSNBC, NPR, CNN.com, and Bloomberg News. She provides local political commentary to the Providence Journal, WPRO radio, RIPBS A Lively Experiment, and is the political analyst for WJAR10, the local NBC affiliate in Providence.
Wendy Schiller’s scholarship focuses on representation in American politics. Most recently, she has worked with Charles Stewart III on the Senate Elections Data Project 1871-1913, which is a study of the indirect election of US Senators in state legislatures (1871-1913) and the impact of the adoption of the 17th Amendment. The study is the basis of our book, Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment (Princeton University Press, 2014).
Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment, co-authored with Charles Stewart III. Forthcoming Princeton University Press Fall 2014.
"U.S. Senate Elections before the 17th Amendment: Political Party Cohesion and Conflict 1871–1913.” Co-authored with Charles Stewart (MIT) and Benjamin Xiong (Brown University). Journal of Politics 75 No.3: 835-837.
“Resolved the filibuster should be abolished (Con argument).” (Revised from earlier version) Chapter 14. In Debating Reform: Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System. Eds. Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson. CQ Press. 254-262.
Gateways to Democracy: An Introduction to American Government, Essentials. Co-author with John G. Geer, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Dana K. Glencross. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
1st Edition, January 2011. (640 pages)
2nd Edition, January 2013 (640 pages)
3rd Edition, January 2015 forthcoming
“The 100th Anniversary of the 17th Amendment: A Promise Unfulfilled?” co-authored with Charles Stewart (MIT). Issues in Governance Studies No. 59:1-12. Washington DC: Brookings Institution
“Howard Baker’s Leadership in the U.S. Senate: Lessons in Persuasion, Civility, and Success.” Baker Center Journal of Applied Public Policy Vol. IV, No. 2: 28-48.
"Senate Delegation Dynamics in an Age of Party Polarization." Co-author with Jennifer C. Cassidy. The Forum Vol. 9: Iss. 4, Article 7.
"Development of Congressional Elections" in The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress, Eds. Frances Lee and Eric Schickler. Oxford University Press.
Stanford University department of political science, February 2015
University of Miami department of political science, November 2014
University of Pittsburgh department of political science, February 2014
Texas Community College Teachers Association Annual Conference, keynote, February 2014
College of William and Mary department of government, April 2013
Department of State, US speaker program, (Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto) March 2013
New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN.com, CQ Weekly, Providence Journal, Des Moines Register, The Hill, Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, The New York Daily News, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, AP, International Business Times, The Hill, Gannett, GoLocalProv.com, The Economist
MSNBC
CNN
FOX
Bloomberg Radio: The Hayes Advantage and On the Economy
The Factor with Bill O’Reilly
Real Time with Bill Maher
National Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Illinois Public Radio
Corus Entertainment Radio, Alberta, Canada
Political Analyst WJAR Channel 10
Political Roundtable, Rhode Island Public Radio
A Lively Experiment, Rhode Island PBS
WPRO Radio, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Common Cause Annual Meeting (keynote)
Miriam Hospital Women’s Association (Providence)
Brown University Club of Providence
One Day University/Dallas Co-sponsored by the Dallas Morning News
One Day University/Washington DC co-sponsored by The Atlantic
One Day University/Minneapolis Co-sponsored by Minnesota PBS
One Day University/Providence Co-sponsored by the Providence Journal
August 15, 2019 Bloomberg
Wendy Schiller, Chair of the Political Science department, comments on the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates' bill-drafting productivity, saying "Introducing bills is an especially attractive messaging tool for Democrats, who believe in the power of government programs and introduce more bills than Republicans."
July 30, 2019 The Guardian
Political scientist Wendy Schiller comments on former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony and possible impeachment. "Mueller’s lacklustre testimony likely gave Speaker Pelosi the ammunition to withstand calls for impeachment inquiries, or hearings, from the left flank of her party."
July 8, 2019 The Boston Globe
Wendy Schiller, Chair of the Political Science department, comments on Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo reluctance to sign the $10 billion state budget, saying "First of all, she wants Rhode Island to look to the outside world like it’s running well."
June 3, 2019 The Guardian
Chair of the Political Science department, Wendy Schiller, comments on President Trump's abundance of supporters willing to repeat and endorse all of his claims. "The Republican establishment will push back through Fox, the Wall Street Journal and other outlets. The titans of the economy will put up with stuff only so long."
April 23, 2019 The Public's Radio
Political Science Chair Wendy Schiller comments on the large amount of money that U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse raised for his re-election campaign. "So it was either overly cautionary on his part, or he was scared of something in that race, because the number is large for the size of the state and the fact that it was his second re-election campaign."
April 18, 2019 Bloomberg Daybreak
Political scientist Wendy Schiller joined Bloomberg Daybreak to discuss the release of the Mueller Report.
April 3, 2019 The Guardian
Wendy Schiller, Chair of the political science department, comments on recent damaging news reports about former Vice President Joe Biden. "It’s a generational obstacle for Biden because the good stuff he’s done is unknown and the bad stuff he’s done is on video."
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer Street
Politics in Action, Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy