Samuel L. Popkin (born June 9, 1942) is an American

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

who teaches at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

. Popkin has played a role in the development of

rational choice Rational choice theory refers to a set of guidelines that help understand economic and social behaviour. The theory originated in the eighteenth century and can be traced back to political economist and philosopher, Adam Smith. The theory postula ...

theory within

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. He is also noted for his work as a

pollster An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...

Early life

Popkin was born on June 9, 1942. He received his Ph.D. from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1969.

Career

His most recent book is ''The Candidate: What it Takes to Win (and Hold) the White House.'' Earlier he wrote ''The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns'' and co-authored ''Issues and Strategies: The Computer Simulation of Presidential Campaigns''. He also co-edited ''Chief of Staff: Twenty-Five Years of Managing the Presidency''. When he was assistant professor of Government, in 1972, he was jailed for a week, for his refusal to answer questions before a grand jury investigating the

Pentagon Papers The ''Pentagon Papers'', officially titled ''Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force'', is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 ...

case, during a hearing before the Boston's Federal District Court. Richard J. Meislin
Popkin Faces Jail Sentence In Contempt of Court Case
''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'', March 22, 1972. The Faculty Council later passed a resolution condemning the government's interrogation of scholars on the grounds that "an unlimited right of grand juries to ask any question and to expose a witness to citations for contempt could easily threaten scholarly research." Popkin is equally well known for his work on peasant society, with particular reference to East and Southeast Asia, including '' The Rational Peasant: The Political Economy of Rural Society in Vietnam''. Popkin has also been a consulting analyst in presidential campaigns, serving as consultant on

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's presidential campaign on polling and strategy, to the CBS News election units from 1983 to 1990 on survey design and analysis, and more recently to the Gore campaign. He has also served as consultant to

political parties in Canada This article lists political parties in Canada. Federal parties In contrast with the political party systems of many nations, Canadian parties at the federal level are often only loosely connected with parties at the provincial level, despite ha ...

and Europe and to the Departments of

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and Defense. His current research focuses on presidential campaigns and the relationship of

public opinion Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...

to foreign policy.

Personal life

Popkin is married to Susan Shirk, research professor and chair of the 21st Century China Center at the Graduate School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego.

Selected publications

*''The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns'' *'' The Rational Peasant: The Political Economy of Rural Society in Vietnam'' *''Candidates, Issues and Strategies'' *''Chief of Staff: Twenty-Five Years of Managing the Presidency'', co-editor with Samuel Kernell

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popkin, Samuel L. 1942 births Living people American political scientists Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of California, San Diego faculty Pollsters