Department of Political Science
College of Letters and Science

Jonathan Renshon

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Biography

I am a Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At UW, I run the experimental methods portion of our Methods, Experiments and Data (MEAD) workshop and teach courses on Political Psychology, International Relations, Research Design and Experimental Methods.

Publications

Books

 

Abstraction in Survey Experiments: testing the Tradeoffs. In press, publication in Fall 2022. Cambridge University Press (Elements in Experimental Political Science series). [Ryan Brutger, Josh Kertzer, Jonathon Renshon & Changai Weiss]

 

Fighting for Status: Hierarchy and Status in World Politics, Princeton University Press, (2017).

  • winner of the 2018 Lepgold Prize for best book in International Relations (Georgetown University, Mortara Center)
  • winner of the 2019 Best Book Award from the International Studies Association
  • reviewed in: Perspectives on Politics, World Politics, International Studies Review, Political Science Quarterly, Political Psychology and subject of an H-DIPLO/ISSF roundtable

 

Why Leaders Choose War: The Psychology of Prevention [Foreword by Alexander L. George] (2006), Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Security International. Adapted from undergraduate/MSc theses.

  • reviewed in: Political Psychology, Political Science Quarterly, International Studies Review & Journal of Strategic Studies

 

Peer-Reviewed Articles

  1. Democratic Reputations in Crisis and War, forthcoming at Journal of Politics [Jonathon Renshon, Keren Yarhi-Milo & Josh Kertzer]
  2. Abstraction and Detail in Experimental Design, forthcoming at American Journal of Political Science [Ryan Brutger, Josh Kertzer, Jonathan Renshon, Dustin Tingley & Chagai Weiss]
  3. International Status and Domestic Support for Political Leaders, forthcoming at American Journal of Political Science. [Ryan Powers & Jonathan Renshon]
  4. Surveys and Experiments on Political Elites (2022), Annual Review of Political Science 25: 529-550. [Josh Kertzer & Jonathan Renshon]
  5. How Do Observers Assess Resolve? (2020), British Journal of Political Science 51/1: 308-330. [Josh Kertzer, Jonathan Renshon & Keren Yarhi-Milo]
  6. Tying Hands, Sinking Costs and Leader Attributes (2018), Journal of Conflict Resolution 62/10: 2150-2179. [Keren Yarhi-Milo, Josh Kertzer & Jonathan Renshon]
    1. 2018 Bruce Russett Award for best paper published in Journal of Conflict Resolution
    2. 2017 Best Paper Award, Foreign Policy Section of APSA
  7. Leader Influence and Reputation Formation in International Politics (2018), American Journal of Political Science 62/2: 325-339. [Jonathan Renshon, Allan Dafoe & Paul Huth
  8. Emotions and the Micro-Foundations of Commitment Problems in International Politics (2017), International Organization 71/S1: 189-218. [Jonathan Renshon, Julia J. Lee & Dustin Tingley]
  9. Status Deficits and War (2016), International Organization 70/3: 513-550.
    1. recipient of 2011 Alexander George Graduate Student Paper Award (ISA)
  10. The Interaction of Testosterone and Cortisol is Associated with Attained Status in Male Executives (2016), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 110/6: 921-929. [Gary D. Sherman, Jennifer S. Lerner, Robert A. Josephs, Jonathan Renshon & James J. Gross]
  11. Physiological Arousal and Political Beliefs (2015), Political Psychology 36/5: 569-585. [Jonathan Renshon, Julia J. Lee & Dustin Tingley]
  12. Losing Face and Sinking Costs: Experimental Evidence on the Judgment of Political and Military Leaders (2015), International Organization 69/3: 659-695.
  13. Perceiving Others’ Feelings: The Importance of Personality and Social Structure (2015), Social Psychological and Personality Science 6/5: 559-569. [Gary D. Sherman, Jennifer S. Lerner, Jonathan Renshon, Christine Ma-Kellams, & Samantha Joel]
  14. Modeling “Effectiveness” in International Relations (2015), Journal of Conflict Resolution 59/2: 207-238. [Jonathan Renshon & Arthur Spirling]
  15. Reputation and Status as Motives for War (2014), Annual Review of Political Science 17: 371-393. [Allan Dafoe, Jonathan Renshon & Paul Huth]
  16. Leadership and Stress: Leadership is Associated with Lower Levels of Stress (2012), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109/44: 17903-17907. [Gary Sherman, Julia J. Lee, Amy Cuddy, Jonathan Renshon, Chris Oveis, James Gross & Jennifer Lerner]
  17. When Public Statements Reveal Private Beliefs: Assessing Operational Codes at a Distance (2009), Political Psychology 30/4: 649-661.
    1. Reprinted: A Political Psychology special virtual issue, “The Psychology of Political Leadership”
  18. Mirroring Risk: The Cuban Missile Estimation (2009), Intelligence & National Security 24/3: 315-338.
  19. Assessing Capabilities in International Politics: Biased Overestimation and the Case of the Imaginary “Missile Gap” (2009), Journal of Strategic Studies 32/1: 115-147.
  20. Stability and Change in Belief Systems: The Operational Code of George W. Bush from Governor to Second Term President (2008), Journal of Conflict Resolution 52/8: 820-849.
    1. Reprinted: Rethinking Foreign Policy Analysis: States, Leaders and the Microfoundations of Behavioral International Relations (2010), Stephen G. Walker, Akan Malici and Mark Schafer,
      eds. (New York: Routledge Press), 169-188.
  21.  The Theory and Practice of Foreign Policy Decision Making (2008), Political Psychology 29/4:509-536. [Jonathan Renshon & Stanley Renshon

Courses

PS 919 Experimental Methods in Political Science Fall 2019-2020
PS 170 Research Methods in Political Science Fall 2019-2020
PS 170 Research Methods in Political Science Summer 2019
PS 960 Seminar-International Relations Spring 2018-2019
PS 170 Research Methods in Political Science Spring 2018-2019
PS 601 Decision-Making Nuclear Crisis Fall 2018-2019
PS 919 Experimental Methods in Political Science Spring 2017-2018
PS 206 Introduction to Political Psychology Spring 2017-2018
PS 960 Psychology & World Politics Spring 2016-2017
PS 200 Research Methods in Political Science Spring 2016-2017
PS 267 Introduction to Political Psychology Fall 2016-2017
PS 200 Research Methods in Political Science Spring 2015-2016
PS 601 Eye to Eye: The Cuban Missile Crisis in Perspective Fall 2015-2016

Awards

2021

Best Faculty Poster, Society for Political Methodology

UW-Madison Faculty Development Grant

2019

Best Book Award (International Studies Association)

2018

2018 Bruce Russett Award for best paper published in Journal of Conflict Resolution

2017

APSA Foreign Policy Section “Best Paper Award” for “Tying Hands, Sinking Costs and Leader Attributes”

Grant from the Stanton Foundation to develop a course on nuclear security

Awarded the Lepgold Prize (Mortara Center, Georgetown University) for best book in IR for Fighting for Status: Hierarchy and Conflict in World Politics (Princeton, 2017)

2016-2017

Award for Best Paper by Untenured Scholar from International Organization for “Losing Face and Sinking Costs: Experimental Evidence on the Judgment of Political and Military Leaders.”

2013-2014

2013 Best Dissertation Award from the International Society of Political Psychology for “Fighting for Status.”