Mark Cassell, Ph.D. – Professor of Political Science at Kent State University

Dear Colleagues:

The Second Most Important Election in the World occurs Sunday, September 22. Other than the United States, Germany is the most important country in which political power is determined by elections, and there is any doubt about the results. Its central position in the European Union means that the fate of a large part of the world economy is wrapped up in the German voters’ choice.

We know that Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats will get the most votes – polls have shown her around 40 percent. But that is not enough to govern. Will the Free Democrats (FDP) get enough votes to continue the current “Tiger/Duck” coalition with Merkel’s CDU? If not, what alternative coalitions are possible? Merkel once ruled out a coalition with the Greens “in this century,” but maybe if she met their demand for one meatless day each week in the Bundestag cafeteria? What are the alternatives, and what are the odds? And what might be the consequences for European economic policy, economic inequality in Germany itself, and the fate of the European Union?

Professor Cassell specializes in comparative public policy, especially economic policy; forms of governance; and German politics. His first book evaluated the privatization of the East German economy after Germany’s reunification.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Mark K. Cassell is a Professor of Political Science at Kent State University where he teaches courses in public policy and administration, comparative public policy, and urban politics. His scholarship is mainly concerned with understanding public sector transformations.

His work includes How Governments Privatize: The Politics of Divestment in the United States and Germany (Georgetown University Press, 2003). The book compares the Resolution Trust Corporation with Germany’s Treuhandanstalt, the agency charged with taking over, managing and privatizing the industrial assets of the former East Germany. The book received the 2003 Charles H. Levine Award for the best book in public policy and administration.

Dr. Cassell’s work has also appeared in Public Administration Review, International Public Management Journal, Social Science Quarterly, and Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions. He currently has a book forthcoming from SUNY Press (with Susan M. Hoffmann) on mission expansion in the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

Dr. Cassell holds a Ph.D. and MA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MPA from the Robert LaFollette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Where We Meet and Parking Possibilities

We regret that there is little convenient free parking, especially with the current construction on Bellflower. The closest lot is the Severance garage, which can be entered from East Boulevard. You can go up the stairway or elevator labeled “Thwing Center.” Follow the walk around to the right and it’s about 50 feet to the building entrance, which will be on your left. Then walk through the atrium and take the elevator ahead on the right up to the third floor. The Spartan Room is on the right when you get off the elevator. Another possibility is the parking lot of the Church of the Covenant on Euclid, which can be entered from the north side of Euclid Ave, opposite Cornell Road. Visitors would walk west on Euclid to the main Thwing Center entrance.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

September 27: “Congressional Republican Leadership.” With Justin Buchler, Associate Professor of Political Science. ***Alternate Location: Mather House Room 100***

October 4: China’s New Leadership After a Year. With Paul Schroeder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science. ***Alternate Location: Mather House Room 100***

October 11: “3D Printing” or Additive Manufacturing: What Is It, and What Could It Do? With Malcolm Cooke, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Executive Director of think(box). ***Alternate Location: Spartan Room, 3rd Floor of Thwing Center***

October 18: Patenting Genes. With Craig Nard, Tom J. E. and Bette Lou Walker Professor of Law, and Director, Center for Law, Technology, and the Arts.

October 25: Why Performance Enhancing Drugs Should be Legal in Sports. With Max Mehlman, Arthur E. Petersilge Professor of Law and Director of the Law-Medicine Center.

November 1: Press Freedom and the Edward Snowden Affair. With Jim Sheeler, Shirley Wormser Professor of Journalism and Media Writing.

November 8: Is It or Is It Not Cancer? Is That the Question? With Nathan A. Berger, Distinguished University Professor and Director, Center for Science, Health and Society.

November 15: The Opportunity Corridor and Beyond: Transportation Issues in University Circle. With Debbie Berry, Vice President of Development, University Circle Inc.

November 22: Economic Effects of Health Care Reform: The Massachusetts Experience. With Mark Votruba, Associate Professor of Economics.

November 29 : No Session – Thanksgiving Break

December 6: TBA