Professor of Political Science Alisa Gaunder and Professor Sarah Wiliarty of Wesleyan University have received a book contract from Routledge for their co-authored book project, provisionally titled Postwar Japan and Germany. The project grew out of the jointly developed course “Japan and Germany: Losers of World War II?,” which the authors teach collaboratively at Southwestern and Wesleyan. The manuscript is scheduled for delivery in late 2027, with publication anticipated in 2028.

Professor of Political Science Alisa Gaunder presented “Pathways to Inclusion: How Historical Legacies, Left Party Strength and Conservative Leadership Have Shaped Immigration Policy in Japan and Germany” (co-authored with Dr. Sarah Wiliarty) at the Western Political Science Association Meeting in San Diego, CA on April 2. She also served as the panel chair of “Gender and Politics in Global Contexts.”

Professor of Political Science Alisa Gaunder served as a panel chair for two panels at the Southern Political Science Association Meeting held in New Orleans, LA from January 15–18. She chaired the panel “Parties, Leaders, and Candidates” and stepped in as an impromptu discussant when the scheduled discussant was unable to attend. She also chaired the panel “Comparative Perspectives on Feminist Movements.”

Professor of Political Science Alisa Gaunder and co-author Dr. Sarah Wiliarty published “Leadership in Crisis: Comparing Prime Minister Abe’s and Chancellor Merkel’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic” in the interdisciplinary journal Contemporary Japan on December 22. This article argues that Merkel was more effective in managing the first stage of the Covid-19 crisis compared to Abe due to new institutions created to coordinate between the local and national level as well as the execution of a policymaking narrative that focused on science and solidarity. Abe’s approach was hampered due to long-established structural inefficiencies in the bureaucracy as well as a policymaking narrative that called for cooperation and self-restraint without responding to public concerns. This comparison adds to our understanding of the impact of leaders on public policymaking in times of uncertainty as well as to the important relationship between leaders and institutions.

Senior Aidan Gomez ’25 presented a poster titled “The Rules of Quotas Matter: Female Representation in the Italian and Japanese Legislatures” at the ASIANetwork Conference in San Antonio on March 29. The poster emerged from a paper written in Professor of Political Science and Vice President for Academic Affairs Alisa Gaunder’s Women in Politics in Europe and Asia course.