Media Contact: Dolores Davies, (858) 534-5994 

UC SAN DIEGO POLITICAL EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON U.S. POLITICS, NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

Political experts from the University of California, San Diego are available to provide commentary to the news media on political issues and the upcoming elections in November.

* Gary Jacobson, a nationally known authority on electoral politics, the U.S. Congress, and campaign financing, can discuss the possible outcomes of the congressional races this fall and how they may be impacted by the president election. The author of numerous books and scholarly articles on congressional and senate elections, Jacobson, a professor of political science, holds a Ph.D. from Yale University. Jacobson has completed research papers on the electoral politics of budget and deficits from 1980-1996, the declining salience of U.S. House candidates from 1958-1994, and the transformation of U.S. House elections in the 1990s. Books include The Electoral Origins of Divided Government, The Politics of Congressional Elections, and the award-winning Money in Congressional Elections. Jacobson can be reached at (858) 534-4295

* Steve Erie, an associate professor of political science, is an expert on California politics. Erie, director of UCSD's Urban Studies & Planning Program, can provide commentary on the ramifications of electricity deregulation, state-wide ballot initiatives and San Diego congressional races. He can also discuss the San Diego mayor's race. Erie is an authority on local and regional growth and development issues, and is nearing completion on a book on the political history of Los Angeles. He has completed a major research project on the political impacts of trade and infrastructure investment in Southern California, and frequently lectures to public groups on the politics of water and growth in Southern California. Erie, who holds a Ph.D. from UCLA, is the author of the award-winning book, Rainbow's End: Irish-Americans and the Dilemmas of Urban Machine Politics. Erie can be reached at (858) 551-0324 (home)/(858) 534-3083 (office)

* Arthur Lupia is an expert on the initiative process, the dynamics of voter decision making, and electoral systems. A professor of political science, he can provide commentary on ballot initiatives and voter behavior relative to the November elections. Lupia, who holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology, is the author (with Elizabeth Gerber and Mathew McCubbins) of the just released book, Stealing the Initiative: How State Government Responds to Direct Democracy, which follows the post-election history of 11 California initiatives. His previous book, The Democratic Dilemma: Can Citizens Learn What They Need to Know, explains how citizens gather and use information when making political decisions. Lupia's research has been published in top law, economics, and political science journals, and he was recently honored by the National Academy of Sciences as a recipient of the NAS's Award for Initiatives in Research. Lupia can be reached at (858) 534-5799 (office) 

* Richard Feinberg, a professor of international political economy at UCSD's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), is an expert on the politics of U.S. foreign security and economic policy. He can provide commentary on the foreign policy proposals of the respective presidential candidates, as well as on the political repercussions of NAFTA and other international public policy matters. During two decades in Washington, he authored numerous books and articles at leading think tanks, and served in the departments of state and treasury as well as on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton Administration. Feinberg was a chief architect of the 1994 Summit of the Americas that George W. Bush has alluded to in recent speeches on the importance of U.S.-Latin American relations. Feinberg can be reached at (858)534-7627 (office)/(858)481-8015 (home) 

* Dan Hallin, a professor of political science and an adjunct professor of communication, is an authority on political communications and the role of the news media in democratic politics. Hallin is well known for his research on media coverage during war time, and has written numerous publications on the role of the news media in Vietnam, Central America, and the Gulf War. He also studies television coverage of elections and other political activities, and was the first scholar to trace the evolution of the shrinking "sound bite." Hallin, who holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, can discuss political communications, media coverage of politics, and political rhetoric and speechmaking. He is the author of The Uncensored War: The Media and Vietnam and We Keep America on Top of the World: Television Journalism and the Public Sphere. Hallin can be contacted at (858) 534-9981/(619) 282-7286 (home) 

* Neil Beck, a professor of political science, specializes in the politics of U.S. economic policy, the politics of comparative monetary policy, and political methodology. Beck can provide commentary on the political implications of activity in the financial markets, including how economic fluctuations the economy can impact presidential elections. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in methodology, political economy, and public policy, and is the author of numerous scholarly articles that have appeared in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Political Analysis. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University. Beck can be reached at (858) 534-4296/ (office)/ (619) 625-8350 (home)

* Michael Bernstein, a professor of history, is an expert on U.S. economic and political history, with an emphasis on the 20th century. He is the author of The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America, 1929-1939 and co-editor of Understanding American Economic Decline. His forthcoming book is A Perilous Progress: Economists, Their Discipline and Public Purpose in Twentieth Century America. Bernstein can be reached at (858) 534-1070 (office)/(619) 299-9042

* Michael Parrish is an expert on the legal and constitutional history of the United States and 20th-century American political reform trends since the Progressive Era. A professor of history, he can provide commentary on the elections and their potential impact on the Supreme Court, the debate surrounding the social security system, and the history of the two-party system. He is the author of Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Major Problems in American History, 1929-1945. His forthcoming book is The Lion of Liberalism: Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. and His Times. Parrish can be contacted at (858) 534-4696 (office)/(619) 222-1631