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New John M Olin Visiting Professor

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Professor George C Edwards (Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University) is visiting the Department this year as the John M Olin Visiting Professor.

Image removed.George Edwards has held visiting appointments at the University of London, Peking University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the University of Wisconsin, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As one of the USAs leading scholars of the presidency, he has authored dozens of articles and written or edited nineteen books on American politics and public policy making as well as founding, and from 1991-2001 directing, The Center for Presidential Studies.

In addition, Professor Edwards applies his scholarship to practical issues of governing, including advising Brazil on its constitution and the operation of its presidency, Russia on building a democratic national party system, and Chinese scholars on democracy; and authoring studies for the 1988 and 2000 U.S. presidential transitions.

During his time in Oxford he will be working to finish a book about the George W Bush presidency, focusing on his strategy of governing by campaigning. He also hopes to start work on a book on leadership, focusing on the question of whether it is possible for democratic leaders to be transformers rather than facilitators of change, and if so, whether they effect change through persuasion or through less direct means. As well as this research, Professor Edwards will be providing 2 Prelims lectures, 8 lectures on presidency for the undergraduate option Government and Politics of the US and contributing to the graduate option classes the Government and Politics of the USA for the Comparative Government MPhil.

Professor Edwards inaugural lecture will be held at 5pm on Monday 28th November in the Manor Road building lecture theatre. The lecture is entitled: The President as Leader: Transformer or Facilitator?