Expertise/Areas of Interest
Dr. Samuel L. Popkin is an expert in the areas of public opinion, political campaigns, and presidential elections. He has served as an adviser in US Presidential politics since 1972, working with George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and most recently with Al Gore. He worked on polling and strategy for the Clinton campaign, debate strategy and played Ronald Reagan during debate rehearsals for President Carter. From 1983 to 1990, he consulted with CBS News election units on survey design and analysis.

He has also served as consultant to political parties in Canada and Europe and to the Departments of State and Defense.

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.

Topics of Publications
Popkin has published in diverse areas, including voting and public opinion. His most recent book is The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns. Other books include Issues and Strategies: The Computer Simulation of Presidential Campaigns; and Chief of Staff: Twenty-Five Years of Managing the Presidency, co-edited with Samuel Kernell.

Background
Popkin, who has been a pollster in five democratic presidential campaigns, is currently a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He has served on the faculties of Yale, Harvard, and the University of Texas; he earned his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.