Jacek Kugler

Jacek Kugler is the Elisabeth Helm Rosecrans Professor of International Relations in the Department of Politics and Policy, part of CGU’s Division of Politics and Economics. Through extensive publications on the causes and consequences of war, he has forged a reputation for innovative formal modeling and empirical analysis. His path-breaking work on political performance provides for the first time a comprehensive political measure to compare and assess the capacity of governments to implement goals regardless of regime type or economic development. His contribution to Political demography disclosed the importance of mobilizing women to achieve economic success; his work on formal agent-based models has wide application in Foreign Policy decision-making.

Kugler received his PhD from the University of Michigan and an MA and BA in political science from UCLA. Prior to his current appointment at Claremont Graduate University, he was a faculty member at Vanderbilt University and Boston University, a research scholar at Harvard University, and a project director at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan. He was a visiting scholar at UCLA, the California Institute of Technology, and the Hatfield School of Policy. He is the former president of the International Studies Association (ISA) and the past president of the Peace Science Society. He served as the co-editor of International Interactions. He also consulted for UNAIDS, IMF, the State Department, and several U.S. governmental agencies and private businesses.

Kugler’s contributions to international relations are significant, having published over four hundred scientific contributions. He has co-founded several organizations, including the Political Demography and Geography (PDG); and the Scientific Study of International Processes (SSIP) Sections at the International Studies Association; and the Conflict Process Section (CPS) at the American Political Science Association. He co-founded the TransResearch Consortium, which is dedicated to student support, data collection, and the systematic analysis of international politics.

Kugler’s research has made a significant impact on world politics. His latest work on nuclear deterrence challenges the notion that large threats induce stability and proposes a global nuclear oligarchy to prevent massive war. His work on power transition explains the peaceful relations among major powers during the Cold War, anticipates stability after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and assesses the challenges posed by the rise of Asia. His work on regional integration suggests a path to long-term international stability. His work on political demography reveals that political factors play a crucial role in the decline of fertility and account for declining populations in the developed world. His current work explores the implications of rapid demographic decline worldwide.