Nils Ringe (Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2006) is an assistant professor of European Politics in the Department of Political Science. His research and teaching interests are European Union politics (in particular the institutions of the European Union), political parties, legislatures, and elections. He is currently working on a book manuscript that re-considers the role of political parties in the decision-making processes of the European Parliament. Additional research projects include an examination of voting patterns in local elections in Central and Eastern Europe and a comparative social network analysis of Congress and the European Parliament.