PIPE* Workshop: Leah Stokes, UC Santa Barbara

Previous research has indicated that political elites have, at best, a murky understanding of their constituents’ policy preferences. Where does this lack of accuracy come from? What explains variation in these misperceptions across individual lawmakers and legislatures?

Leah Stokes examines public policy, public opinion and political behavior, with a focus on energy, environment and climate change. Her forthcoming book Short Circuiting Policy (Oxford University Press) examines how interest groups have tried to weaken clean energy laws across the American states.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to limited space, priority for seating will be granted to students and faculty.

Stokes is frequently quoted in national media. Prior to academia, Leah worked at the Parliament of Canada and Resources for the Future and is the co-Chair of the Scholars Strategy Network’s Working Group on Energy & Climate. She is affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the Environmental Studies Department at UCSB. Leah is also a Fellow at the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy at John Hopkins SAIS and the University of Calgary School of Public Policy.

The PIPE Collaborative holds scholarly interdisciplinary workshops which bring together USC faculty and graduate students from Price, Gould, Marshall, Dornsife (the Political Science and Economics Departments) who have an interest in political institutions and political economy. The workshop will provide a regular forum for PIPE scholarship and create an environment for new collaborations to develop.

*Political Institutions and Political Economy