Professor Kollman’s research focuses on political parties and organizations, elections, lobbying, and federal systems.  He has published numerous articles and books in a variety of fields.  His recent book, Perils of Centralization, includes research on the European Union, Roman Catholic Church, General Motors Corporation, and United States government. His popular American government textbook is now in its third edition, and the New York Times and Washington Post have published his essays.  He also co-founded and is co-principal investigator of the Constituency-Level Election Archive (CLEA), the world’s largest repository of elections results data.

Speaker’s Synopsis: Professor Kollman will provide an historical and analytical analysis of the Electoral College, an institution that was created through the U.S. Constitution.He will review the origins of this curious institution, and will discuss the pros and cons of its continued use.