Barberio, Richard P.

What is political scandal?  How can we define and operationalize it so that we can use it as a tool to better understand the U.S. political system?  What can trends in the nature of scandal and its prevalence over time tell us about political institutions, the media, public opinion, partisanship, ideology, and other key factors of the political sphere?  We will explore these major questions within the context of the U.S. government and politics.  Additionally, the nature of political scandal in other nations will be addressed in comparison with American political scandals, especially recent scandals in the Italian national government and other non-U.S. examples.