简介

Professor Smith's research focuses on environmental politics, public opinion, and elections. In the area of environmental politics, he has been examining public opinion toward offshore oil development, nuclear power, wind power, energy crises, and climate change. He recently finished a book about public opinion on energy and environmental issues, Energy, the Environment, and Public Opinion. In the area of public opinion, he has investigated problems such as how both citizens and members of Congress organize their opinions about politics, how people learn about politics, and how their knowledge influences their opinions and their behavior. In the area of elections, he has investigated problems such as the nature of party realignment, how candidate quality affects voting decisions, and how voters respond to male and female candidates. Professor Smith is currently working on two major projects. In the first, he is working with four graduate students in an exploration of the influence of public opinion, business interests, and environmental activists on energy policy during energy crises. In the second project, he is examining the implications of the eventual decline of world oil production (so-called "peak oil") for U.S. energy policy and climate change policy. In a separate project, he is studying public opinion regarding gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals. Professor Smith received his Ph.D. in political science from U.C. Berkeley in 1982. After teaching at Brandeis University and Columbia University, he joined the U.C. Santa Barbara Political Science Department in 1986. In 1995-96, he directed U.C. Santa Barbara's Washington Center. He is also affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, and the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB.