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Professional Preparation
Ph.D. - Political Science University of California at Irvine - 1997
M.A. - Political Science University of California at Irvine - 1993
B.A. - Political Science University of California at Irvine - 1991
Research Areas
American politics, elections, redistricting, representation, US Congress, political parties
Publications
Brunell, Thomas L. Notes on the 2008 U.S. General Election. Electoral Studies, forthcoming. forthcoming - Publication
Stone Sweet, Alec and Thomas L. Brunell. 2013. “Trustee Courts and the Judicialization of International Regimes: The Politics of Majoritarian Activism in the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization. Journal of Law and Courts 1(1): 61- 88. 2013 - Publication
Stone Sweet, Alec and Thomas L. Brunell. 2012. The European Court of Justice, State
Non-Compliance, and the Politics of Override. American Political Science Review
106(1): 204-213. 2012 - Publication
Brunell, Thomas L. and Harold Clarke. 2012. Who Wants Electoral Competition and
Who Wants to Win? Political Research Quarterly 65(1): 124-137. 2012 - Publication
Grofman, Bernard, Thomas L. Brunell, and Scott L. Feld. 2012. Towards a Theory of
Bicameralism: The Neglected Contributions of the Calculus of Consent. Public Choice
152(1-2): 147-161. 2012 - Publication
Brunell, Thomas L. 2012. The One Person, One Vote Standard in Redistricting: The
Uses and Abuses of Population Deviations in Legislative Redistricting. Case Western
Reserve Law Review 62(4): 1057- 1077. 2012 - Publication
Merrill, Samuel, Bernard Grofman, and Thomas L. Brunell. 2011. “Do British Politics
Exhibit Electoral Cycles?” British Journal of Political Science 41(1): 33-55. 2011 - Publication
Adams, James, Thomas Brunell, Bernard Grofman, and Samuel Merrill, III. Why Candidate Divergence Should be Expected to be Just as Great (or even Greater) in Competitive Seats as in Non-Competitive Ones. Public Choice, forthcoming. 2010 - Publication
Appointments
Professor The University of Texas at Dallas [2009–Present]
Associate Professor The University of Texas at Dallas [2005–2009]
Assistant Professor of Political Science Northern Arizona University [2003–2005]
Assistant Professor of Political Science Binghamton University, SUNY [1999–2003]
American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow
[1998–1999]
Visiting Assistant Professor University of California, Irvine [1997–1998]
Projects
The Relationship Between Descriptive Representation of African Americans in Congress and Attitudes Toward Government
2004–2004With Rachel Cremona and Chris Anderson, presented at The Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 14-17, 2004.
The Relationship Between Parties and Interest Groups: Explaining Interest Group Donations
2002–2002Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA August 26-September 1, 2002.
Do National Tides Affect Governors?: Midterm Loss in Gubernatorial Elections
2004–2004With Robin Best, presented at The Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 14-17, 2004.
The Entrance of Women into the U.S. Congress: The Widow Effect
2001–2001with Lisa Solowiej. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association. Atlanta, GA November 7-10, 2001.
The Impact of Primary Type on Competitiveness of U.S. Congressional Primary Elections
2005–2005Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, September 1-5, 2004.
Additional Information
Grants and Awards
Intramural Grants Program, Northern Arizona University. $5,000 for a study on the impact of redistricting on House elections. Summer 2004.
Deans Workshop Grant, "Methods and Politics," $3000, 2002-2003, with David Clark, David Rueda and Wendy Martinek.
Deans Workshop Grant, "Democratic Institutions, Preference Aggregation and World Politics," $4000, 2001-2002, with David Clark and Patrick Regan.
Dean's Research Semester Award. Binghamton University, 2001-2002.
American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship, 1998-99
Order of Merit. Outstanding Graduate Scholarship. School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 1996-1997
University of California Regents Dissertation Fellowship, Spring 1997.
Scaife Foundation Fellowship to attend ICSPR summer statistical program, 1993.
Other Publications and Community Involvement
Appeared on Think with Krys Boyd on KERA Channel 13 here in Dallas talking about my book.
Quoted extensively in a Huffington Post story by Tom Edsall on political cycles. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/24/obama-rides-the-wave_n_108848.html
Appeared on local radio station (KRLD 1080 am) as a guest political commentator for a 3 hour election wrap up program for the Texas presidential primary election, March 4, 2008.
Was one of four invited speakers, including one member of Congress, at North Central Texas College's 2nd Annual Conference on American Leadership, April 12, 2008, where I spoke about redistricting and representation.
My research on cycles in American electoral politics was featured on Discovery's website http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/03/13/political-cycles.html
Quoted in Pittsburgh Tribune Review on Thursday March 27 about jury deliberations. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_559258.html
Quoted in Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday April 2 about jury deliberations. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/17215627.html
My research with Patrick Brandt involving predicting the 2006 Congressional elections was quoted extensively in an article U.S. News and World Report.
Wrote an op-ed for Newsday (New York) on the impact of timing of events for presidential elections. Published 1/4/04. This was reprinted in the Dodge City Daily
Globe (Kansas) on 1/8/04 and in the Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee) on 1/25/04.
Spoke to Pi Sigma Alpha meeting on the Presidential Primary Process, February 2004.
Delivered a speech to the League of Women Voters of Broome and Tioga Counties entitled "Redistricting after Census 2000: Playing Political Hardball." September 25, 2001
Appeared as an hour long guest on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" to discuss the decennial census. March 7, 2001.
Stone Sweet, Alec and Thomas L. Brunell. 2000. "The European Court, National Judges, and Legal Integration: A Researcher's Guide to the Data Set on Preliminary References in EC Law, 1958–98." Working paper. Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. European University Institute.
Brunell, Thomas L. and Amihai Glazer. 1999. "Evidence for the Irrationality of Governmental Policy." Working paper, Center for the Study of Democracy, U.C. Irvine.
Stone Sweet, Alec and Thomas L. Brunell. 1997. "The European Court and the National Courts: A Statistical Analysis of Preliminary References, 1961-95." Working paper 14/97, Jean Monnet Center, Harvard Law School.
Appeared on News Channel 34 (ABC) on 11/12/00 discussing the process by which we amend the constitution.
Appeared on Fox 40 on election night 11/7/00 as an analyst discussing the election.
Appeared on WBNG TV (CBS) on 11/2/00 discussing voter fatigue.
Appeared on News Channel 34 (ABC) on 11/2/00 discussing the Electoral College.
Quoted in Press and Sun-Bulletin on 10/14/00 in an article about the 26th district Congressional election in New York.
Appeared on WBNG TV (CBS) with students in my class discussing the second Clinton/Lazio debate, 10/8/00.
Appeared on News Channel 34 (ABC) discussing Presidential debate, 10/4/00
Appeared on News Channel 34 (ABC) discussing Presidential debate, 10/3/00
Appeared on News Channel 34 (ABC) discussing the 2000 NY Senatorial primary, 9/12/00.
Appeared on WBNG TV (CBS) News discussing the 2000 presidential primaries. March 7,2000.
Appeared on WBNG TV (CBS) News discussing Census 2000 and its likely impact on New York. January 20, 2000.
Appeared on WBNG TV (CBS) and News Channel 34 (FOX) talking about turnout in local elections. October 2, 1999.
Brunell, Thomas L. "Accurate Census Count Vital for New York." The Press & Sun-Bulletin. July 25, 1999. Page 6E.
Teaching Experience
Introduction to U.S. and Texas Government
Political Parties and Interest Groups
American Political Institutions
Race and Redistricting
Congress
Campaigns and Elections
Statistics
Computer Based Research in Social Science
Graduate seminar in American Politics
Graduate seminar in Electoral Systems
Graduate seminar in American Political Institutions
UT Dallas’ School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) has named a new associate dean for graduate programs and assistant dean for undergraduate studies. Dr. Tom Brunell, professor of political science, will oversee the graduate students, and Dr. Sarah Maxwell, clinical assistant professor in criminology and public policy, will work with students seeking bachelor’s degrees. Brunell succeeds Dr. Euel Elliott, professor of political science, who helped oversee a major expansion of the school during his 15 years in the position. Dr. Kruti Dholakia-Lehenbauer, clinical professor in public policy and political economy, formerly assisted the undergraduates.
For the first time in decades, the nation is witnessing an intensively competitive race for the Democratic nomination for president.onventional wisdom holds that competitive elections are good for the electorate because they attract more people to the polls and keep elected officials honest by making them more closely follow the wishes of the electorate. But is competition always a good thing for voters? Given a choice, American voters would rather win than compete, according to Thomas Brunell, an associate professor in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, whose new book argues for less competition in general elections, not more. In his new book, Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections are Bad for America, (2008, Routledge), he says rather than draw districts 50-50, draw them so that they are overwhelmingly of one party or the other. Such a non-competitive system, would result in more competitive primary elections, better representation for all and less gerrymandering, the process in which the party in power draws district lines in order to dilute votes from the other party.
The committee addresses emerging census challenges including adaptive design; cyber infrastructure; demographic, economic and statistical research; and technical and operational priorities. Members serve a three-year term.