Ryan Vander Wielen

Biography

Ryan Vander Wielen is a Professor of Political Science at the Stony Brook University. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis after receiving his B.A. in Government from Lawrence University. He has held visiting fellowships at Duke University and Sciences-Po Lyon.

Research

Ryan Vander Wielen’s research and teaching interests are in the areas of American political institutions, political decision-making, quantitative methodology, and formal modeling. Much of his research examines how legislators strategically navigate their electoral circumstances, and whether voters hold elected representatives accountable for their behavior in office. He is currently working on a book on how the introduction of Fox News affected congressional behavior. He is also focusing on research that reconceptualizes congressional party leaders as social planners who use party discipline to proactively shape members’ contribution decisions, but always with a mindfulness to optimizing party welfare.

His work has been published in the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Analysis, Public Choice, Political Research Quarterly, and elsewhere. He is the co-author of Taming Intuition (Cambridge University Press), Politics Over Process (University of Michigan Press), The American Congress (Rowman & Littlefield), and The American Congress Reader (Cambridge University Press).

RECENT Publications - Articles

“Strategic Candidate Entry and Congressional Elections in the Era of Fox News.” American Journal of Political Science (2020) 64(2): 398-415. With Kevin Arceneaux, Johanna Dunaway, and Martin Johnson.

“Unpacking the Unknown: A Method for Identifying Status Quo Distributions.” Public Choice (2020) 182(1-2): 497-72. With Michael J. Vander Wielen.

“Time-Dependent Legislative Behavior and Election Outcomes.” Forthcoming in Party Politics. (Published online 2019). With Lauren M. Rowlands. 

“Diffusion in Congress: Measuring the Social Dynamics of Legislative Behavior.”Political Science Research and Methods (2017) 5(3): 511-527. With René Lindstädt and Matthew Green.

“The Influence of News Media on Political Elites: Investigating Strategic Responsiveness in Congress.”American Journal of Political Science (2016) 60(1): 5-29. With Kevin Arceneaux, Martin Johnson, and René Lindstädt.

RECENT Publications - Books

Taming Intuition: How Reflection Minimizes Partisan Reasoning and Promotes Democratic Accountability (2017) New York: Cambridge University Press. With Kevin Arceneaux.

Politics Over Process: Partisan Conflict and Post-Passage Processes in the U.S. Congress(2017) Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. With Hong Min Park and Steven S. Smith.

The American Congress, 10th edition (2019) Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield; 9th edition (2015); 8th edition (2013); 7th edition (2011); 6th edition (2009); 5th edition (2007); 4th edition (2006) New York: Cambridge University Press. With Jason M. Roberts and Steven S. Smith.

The American Congress Reader (2009) New York: Cambridge University Press. With Jason M. Roberts and Steven S. Smith.

Teaching

News