Michael E. Morrell

Associate Professor

Political Science

Political Theory, Democratic Theory, Political Psychology

Michael E. Morrell received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1998. He teaches a range of political theory courses at the undergraduate level, including Introduction to Political Theory, Modern Political Theory, Political Theory and Popular Music, and Democratic Theory. Graduate seminars he has taught include the Proseminar in Political Theory, Emotions and Political Theory, and Political Psychology. His main research interests examine deliberative democracy, the connections between empathy and democracy, and emotions in politics. He is currently working on several research projects examining these areas in democratic mini-publics and online news comment platforms. He is also continuing to explore his theory of the role of empathy in democracy.

Selected Books
Michael E. Morrell. 2010. Empathy and Democracy: Feeling, Thinking and Deliberation. Penn State University Press. 2010 (http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03659-5.html).

Peer Reviewed Publications:

• Morrell, Michael E., Genevieve Fuji Johnson, and Laura W. Black. 2022. “Mini-Public Replication: Emotions and Deliberation in the Citizens’ Initiative Review Redux”, Journal of Deliberative Democracy 18(2). DOI: 10.16997/jdd.1043
• Johnson, Genevieve Fuji, Michael E. Morrell and Laura W. Black. 2019 “Emotions and Deliberation in the Citizens’ Initiative Review.” Social Science Quarterly 100 (6): 2168-2187. DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12707
• Morrell, Michael E. 2018. “Listening and Deliberation.” In The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy, eds. André Bächtiger, John S. Dryzek, Jane Mansbridge, and Mark E. Warren. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198747369.001.0001
• Morrell, Michael E. 2014. “Participant Bias and Success in Deliberative Mini-Publics.” In Deliberative Mini-Publics: Involving Citizens in the Democratic Process, eds. Kimmo Grönlund, André Bächtiger and Maija Setälä. Colchester, UK: ECPR Press.
• Morrell, Michael E. 2007. “Empathy and Democratic Education.” Public Affairs Quarterly. 21: 381-403. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40441496 
• Morrell, Michael E. 2005. “Deliberation, Democratic Decision-Making and Internal Political Efficacy.” Political Behavior. 27 (1): 49-69. DOI: 10.1007/s11109-005-3076-7
• Morrell, Michael E. 2003. “Survey and Experimental Evidence for a Reliable and Valid Measure of Internal Political Efficacy.” Public Opinion Quarterly. 67: 589-602. DOI: 10.1086/378965
• Morrell, Michael E. 1999. “Citizens’ Evaluations of Participatory Democratic Procedures: Normative Theory Meets Empirical Science.” Political Research Quarterly. 52: 293-322. DOI: 10.1177/106591299905200203

Grants

• “DESIGNING ONLINE NEWS COMMENTS TO PROMOTE INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE.” Co-PI, $225,000, Humility & Conviction in Public Life Project, University of Connecticut Humanities Institute with funding from the John Templeton Foundation.

Other Publications

• Richards, Robert, Michael E. Morrell, David Brinker, and Justin Reedy. 2022. “Psychological Phenomena in Democratic Deliberation.” Journal of Deliberative Democracy 18 (2). Editors Introduction to Special Issue. doi: https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.1277 
• Bryan, Frank, William Keith, James Kloppenberg, Jane Mansbridge, Michael Morrell, and Graham Smith. 2019. “Collective Interview on the History of Town Meetings.” Journal of Public Deliberation 15 (2). DOI: 10.16997/jdd.336 

View Prof. Morrell’s Research Project Web Page here.