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G. Bingham Powell, Jr. is the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Political Science at theUniversity of Rochester, where he is a former Department Chair and Director of Graduate Studies. He has Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in political science from Stanford University (1968) and a B.A.in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University (1963.)

Powell's scholarly work has been in the field of comparative politics.  He has published work on political participation, conflict, government stability, party systems, election rules, economic voting, representation, and the role of elections in shaping government commitments and policies. His book Contemporary Democracies: Participation, Stability and Violence (Harvard 1982) won the American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award "For the best book published in the U.S. during 1982 on government, politics, or international affairs."  In 2000 this book was given the George H. Hallett Award, "For a book that is at least ten years old and that has made a lasting contribution to the literature on representation and electoral systems," by APSA's Representation and Electoral Systems Section. His book Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Visions (Yale 2000) was a co-winner of the 2002 Mattei Dogan Award, for the "Best Comparative Book of the Year," by the Society for Comparative Research. He is also the author of Social Fragmentation and Political Hostility ( Stanford 1970,) and co-author of Comparative Politics: System, Process and Policy (Little, Brown 1978,) and Comparative Politics: A Developmental Approach (Little, Brown 1966.) His most recent articles focus on explaining ideological congruence between citizens and their representatives.

Bing Powell teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Rochester. He received the University Award for Graduate Teaching in 1999.  He was awarded The Goergen Award,  "For Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching," at the University of Rochester in 2009. He is also the co-author and co-editor of two undergraduate textbooks, Comparative Politics Today (Longman 2007,) now in its 9th edition and European Politics Today (Longman 2009,) now in its 4th edition.

Powell's service to the profession includes being the editor of the American Political Science Review in 1991-1995. His contributions to APSA include service as Vice-President and as organizer of panels for sections on Comparative Political Behavior and Teaching Political Science at the APSA Meetings. He is a former Guggenheim Fellow. In 1991 he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Powell's department website and contact information.