Joseph Austin Ranney

His research focuses on political parties, elections, voting behavior, and mass communications in Western democracies, especially the United States. His early work explored the origins and impact of the doctrine of responsible party government used as an ideal and benchmark for evaluating American and British political parties. His later work considers both the impact of modern mass communications, especially television, on politics and governance in the United States, and the growth, conduct, and impact of popular initiatives and referendums in the American states and in other nations.