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Regina Smyth

Associate Professor of Political Science, Indiana University

Professor Smyth's research explores the relationship between democratic development and electoral competition by focusing on candidates, political parties and party systems in post-Communist states. Her work is based on original data collection that has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, Smith Richardson Foundation, and the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research. Her book Candidate Strategies and Electoral Competition in the Russian Federation: Democracy without Foundation (Cambridge 2006) explains the failure of Russian democracy in terms of the factors that impeded cooperation among candidates and party leaders and failed to produce a viable opposition to the ruling party. Her study of Russian party organizations examines the inability of parties' to articulate coherent policy positions or frame policy debates.

Her current work on party and party system consolidation across the post-Communist states examines the processes that produce congruence between key political alignments or power centers and partisan competition. Professor Smyth's work has been published in Politics and Society, Comparative Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. Her teaching interests extend from her research. She has taught courses on Russian and Soviet Politics, Democracy and Elections, Comparative Democratic Institutions, Comparative Parties and Party Systems, Voter Turnout, and West European Politics. She has taught at Penn State University and Harvard University before coming to Indiana University in 2006.

Russia's cabinet resigns and it's all part of Putin's plan

Jan 18, 2020 11:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Editors note: Russias prime minister, Dmitry A. Medvedev, and cabinet resigned on Jan. 15. Russian politics are often not what they seem, especially to those in the West. We asked Regina Smyth, a Russia scholar at...

Moscow’s municipal elections illustrate the growing political crisis in Russia

Sep 22, 2019 13:55 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putins ruling party, United Russia, eked out a majority in the Moscow municipal legislature in elections on Sept. 8. While Putins regime touted the outcome as a victory, the election posed a...

Global Geopolitics Series

Is the growing Russia crisis another Cold War conflict? Nyet

Apr 02, 2018 16:43 pm UTC| Insights & Views

A crisis erupted this week as Russian diplomats were ejected from European countries and the U.S., and Western diplomats were ejected by Russia. The punitive measures were sparked by outrage in the West over alleged...

Economy

Oil Prices Drop as Middle East Supply Recovery Eases Market Concerns

Global oil prices continued to decline on Thursday, reaching levels close to those seen before tensions escalated between Iran and its regional rivals. The sharp drop in crude prices reflects growing confidence that oil...

White House Seeks $87.6 Billion Emergency Funding for Iran War, Farmers, and Ebola Response

The White House has formally asked Congress to approve an $87.6 billion supplemental spending package aimed at covering expenses tied to the ongoing Iran war, while also providing funding for American farmers and...

Japan Signals Preference for Low Interest Rates as BOJ Policy Debate Intensifies

Japans government is preparing to push for a monetary policy that supports stronger private demand, highlighting its preference for keeping borrowing costs low even as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) continues normalizing interest...

Gold Drops Below $4,000 as Strong US Dollar and Fed Rate Hike Expectations Pressure Bullion

Gold prices continued their downward trend during Asian trading on Thursday, falling to their lowest level in more than seven months as a stronger U.S. dollar and growing expectations of additional Federal Reserve interest...

South Korea’s KOSPI Jumps Over 5% as Samsung, SK Hynix Rally on Micron Earnings Boost

South Koreas benchmark KOSPI index soared more than 5% at Thursdays market open, prompting the Korea Exchange (KRX) to temporarily halt program trading after a sharp rally fueled by leading semiconductor stocks. The...

Politics

US Mobilizes Aid After Powerful Earthquakes Devastate Venezuela

Powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday have prompted an immediate response from the United States, which is coordinating with Venezuelan authorities and preparing emergency assistance for the disaster-hit...

US Urges States and Businesses to Strengthen Taiwan Ties Amid China Pressure

The United States has urged state governments and private businesses to strengthen their engagement with Taiwan after raising concerns that Chinese officials have been attempting to discourage such relationships. According...

Young Brazilian Voters Shift Right Ahead of 2026 Election

As Brazil prepares for its October presidential election, a growing number of young voters are moving away from the left, signaling a major political shift that could influence the countrys future. Many who once supported...

Pelosi Discloses Major Intel and Uber Call Option Purchases Worth Up to $6 Million

Representative Nancy Pelosi has disclosed a new financial transaction report revealing that her spouse, Paul Pelosi, purchased substantial call options in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:...

Trump Requests $11 Billion More in Farm Aid as Rising Costs Pressure U.S. Farmers

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Congress to approve more than $11 billion in additional farm aid to help American farmers cope with soaring fuel and fertilizer expenses linked to the recent Iran conflict. According...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Kioxia Targets U.S. Listing as AI Chip Boom Accelerates

Japan-based Kioxia Holdings Corp. (TYO:285A) is preparing to launch U.S. depositary shares in the spring of 2027, a strategic move aimed at expanding its global investor base and taking advantage of growing enthusiasm for...

Doncasters Raises $919 Million in NYSE IPO as Aerospace Growth Accelerates

Doncasters has successfully raised $919.3 million through its U.S. initial public offering (IPO), marking a significant milestone in the aerospace components manufacturers long-term transformation. The historic British...

SK Hynix Targets $29.4 Billion Nasdaq Listing to Expand AI Chip Business

SK Hynix has announced plans to raise as much as $29.4 billion through a Nasdaq listing in the United States, positioning the deal as one of the largest global stock offerings in history. The South Korean memory chip...

Alibaba Shares Fall After Anthropic Alleges Massive AI Model Distillation Campaign

Alibaba Groups Hong Kong-listed shares dropped sharply on Thursday after reports revealed that U.S.-based artificial intelligence company Anthropic accused the Chinese tech giant of conducting a large-scale campaign to...

Samsung and SK Hynix Shares Jump After Micron Earnings Boost AI Chip Optimism

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix posted strong gains on Thursday after Micron Technology delivered record quarterly earnings and issued a stronger-than-expected revenue forecast, reinforcing confidence in the growing...