Political Science
Many of the faculty and students in the Department of Political Science have great interest in the politics and public policy of water, climate change, and population demands in the arid West and across the world. A political scientist or policy scholar interested in this position might study environmental policy, environmental discourse and thought, water scarcity or energy production as a security threat and a matter of global justice, public law regarding water rights, compacts and treaties, or the politics and policy around climate change, coastal threats, urban policy and severe weather disasters. Political Science faculty who are currently pursuing research in the areas of society, water and climate include:
- Tabitha Benney – has published on private-sector responses to climate change in the southern part of the globe and on the creation and operation of carbon markets in emerging economies. She is currently researching renewable energy in developing countries.
- Patricia Bromley–has published on the global spread of environmental discourse through social science textbooks comparing patterns across countries.
- Dan McCool (Professor Emeritus) – his research focuses on water resource development, public lands policy, and Indian water rights. He has published on American rivers, Native American water rights, settlements and treaties, federal water development and interest group politics, the power and performance of natural resource agencies, as well as the politics and policy developments around water and wilderness in Utah.
- Chris Simon – is currently working on a book on energy security, has published on renewable energy as an issue and controversy in science and politics, and has published on sustainability in state and local government in the 21st Century.