Mackenzie Clark
News Editor
If you’re like me, you have a vague interest in politics, and you want to learn more about international economic policy.
The second Faculty at Large Lecture of the fall semester will be presented by Bas van Doorn, who is an associate professor of political science at The College of Wooster. Van Doorn will present, “We Are Not Denmark: International Policy Models, American Exceptionalism, and Domestic Policy-Making.”
The presentation will cover van Doorn’s ongoing book project, which addresses the ways in which international policies can affect U.S. domestic policies, particularly during debates.
“The big question of the project is: how do other countries’ policies affect domestic policy debates and public opinion in the United States?” said van Doorn. “As a native of the Netherlands, it comes naturally to me to compare U.S. domestic policy to other countries’ and to wonder, for example, why we, quite uniquely, lack paid maternity leave programs in this country.”
Through analysis of speeches, debates and media coverage, van Doorn hopes to determine who typically references other countries policies, what countries are mentioned most frequently and how these pre-existing policies affect public support for proposed policies.
“I have noticed that media coverage and elite discussion of domestic policy oftentimes makes reference to the policies in place elsewhere,” said van Doorn. “For example, Bernie Sanders often referred to Denmark and other Nordic countries when making a case for his proposals during the Democratic primary debates.
As it turns out, no one has looked at the prevalence of these types of references systematically, so that’s what motivates this project. My aim is to get a detailed sense of how often other countries policies’ pop up in policy debates, of who does and does not employ these references, and what the effect of such references is on public support for policy proposals.”
Van Doorn has been a part of The College of Wooster’s faculty since 2007. He received his M.A. from the University of Amsterdam (American studies) and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include political psychology, public opinion, political communication and the U.S. presidency. He has also published work on various subjects, including media and politics, interpersonal discussion and agenda setting and depictions of the poor in U.S. media.
The lecture will begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 10 in the Lean Lecture Room in Wishart Hall. This is the final Faculty at Large Lecture of the fall semester and the event is free and open to the public.