Research Interests

Dr. Alexander C. Pacek’s main research focus is on the political determinants, and consequences of life satisfaction and happiness in citizens around the world.

Biography

Dr. Alexander C. Pacek’s main research focus is on the political determinants, and consequences of life satisfaction and happiness in citizens around the world. Much of his earlier work focused on the political economy of voter turnout and electoral choice in the post-communist countries, the developing world, and the advanced industrial democracies.

Dr. Pacek’s current research includes a book and a series of papers on the political determinants and consequences of happiness and life-satisfaction. Ongoing projects include a book on the political consequences of happiness and life satisfaction, and a series of papers on the impact of globalization, labor unions, and the size and quality of government on human happiness and life-satisfaction across the globe. He is also beginning a new project with Benjamin Radcliff (University of Notre Dame) on the politics of happiness in the American states, which involves the development of a new state-level survey data set.

Dr. Pacek teaches undergraduate courses on Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, comparative politics, and American government. He teaches graduate courses on comparative politics and research topics in the post-communist world. He has taught several course for the George Bush School of Government and Public Service on ethnic conflict and nation-building in the former communist world.

Courses Taught

Undergraduate courses

• POLS 206 – American National Government
• POLS 329 – Introduction to Comparative Politics
• POLS 320 – Race and Politics in the United States
• POLS 338 – Government and Politics of the Former Soviet Union
• POLS 481 – Research Seminar

Graduate courses

• POLS 620 – Comparative Political Systems
• POLS 624 – Seminar in Regional Studies

Representative Publications

He has published a number of articles reflecting these different emphases, most recently Disenchanted or Discerning: Voter Turnout in Post-Communist Countries,” (Journal of Politics), “Assessing the Welfare State: Decommodification and Human Happiness in OECD Countries,” (Perspectives on Politics), “Transitional Winners and Losers: Attitudes Toward EU Membership in Post-Communist Countries” (American Journal of Political Science), and “Voter Participation and Party Group Fortunes in European Parliament Elections, 1979-1999: A Cross-National Analysis” (Political Research Quarterly). Previous articles include work on economic voting (Journal of Politics, Scandinavian Political Studies, American Journal of Political Science), and consequences of differential turnout (Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, British Journal of Political Science).