I am an Assistant Professor and Benjamin Lippincott Chair in Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

I study political economy and research methods. Most of my research focuses on the interactions between businesses and public opinion. Many of my articles are interested in understanding how people feel about aspects of economic globalization. My book manuscript, The Cost of Doing Politics, asks how public opinion shapes corporate influence tactics.

My methodology work is primarily focused on measurement and data collection in an effort to help more researchers answer more questions in more areas, especially in local politics. I also do some research on political science research, trying to understand how demographic characteristics of researchers affect the research we do.

I primarily teach classes on research methods (although I also teach an undergraduate class on international political economy). My teaching is heavily focused on active learning (i.e., "learning through doing").

I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at Emory University in 2016 (where I worked with the incomparable Jennifer Gandhi) and I received my B.S. from the University of Michigan in 2010.

Contact
email: jlsumner@umn.edu
office: 1472 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

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