Matthew Baum

Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications
Professor of Public Policy
Shorenstein Center
Office Address
Taubman-244
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 113
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-495-1291
Fax: 617-495-8696
Email: Matthew_Baum@ksg.harvard.edu
Assistant
Jamie Georgia (617-496-3440)
Matthew Baum

Profile

Matthew A. Baum is the Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His research focuses on delineating the effects of domestic politics on international conflict and cooperation in general and American foreign policy in particular, as well as on the role of the mass media and public opinion in contemporary American politics. His research has appeared in over a dozen leading scholarly journals, such as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Politics. His books include Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age and War Stories: The Causes and Consequences of Public Views of War (Forthcoming 2009, Princeton University Press). He has also contributed op-ed articles to a variety of newspapers and magazines in the United States and abroad. Before coming to Harvard, Baum was an associate professor of political science and communication studies at UCLA. He received his PhD in political science at UC San Diego in 2000.

Courses

Fall

  • DPI-611 Mass Media, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy
  • DPI-608 Political Communication

Spring

  • DPI-101-D Political Institutions and Public Policy: International Politics

Media Expertise

Matthew Baum welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Academic Journals
    • Baum, Matthew A., and Phil Gussin. "In the Eye of the Beholder: How Information Shortcuts Shape Individual Perceptions of Bias in the Media." Quarterly Journal of Political Science 3.1 (March 2008): 1-31.
    • Baum, Matthew A., and Philip B.K. Potter. "The Relationships Between Mass Media, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis." Annual Review of Political Science 11.1 (June 2008): 39-65.
    • Baum, Matthew A., and Tim Groeling. "Crossing the Water's Edge: Elite Rhetoric, Media Coverage and the Rally-Round-the-Flag Phenomenon." Journal of Politics 70.4 (October 2008): 1-21.
    • Baum, Matthew A., and Tim Groeling. "New Media and the Polarization of American Political Discourse." Political Communication 25.4 (October 2008): 345-365.
    • Baum, Matthew A., and Tim Groeling. "Shot by the Messenger: The Effects of Party Cues on Public Opinion Regarding National Security and War." Political Behavior (October 2008).
  • Research Papers/Reports
    • Baum, Matthew A. "Reality Asserts Itself: Public Opinion on Iraq and the Elasticity of Reality." Conference Paper for the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 28-31, 2008.
    • Baum, Matthew A. "Coalition of the Unrestrained: Mass Media, Electoral Institutions, and the Constraining Effect of Global Opinion Regarding Iraq." Paper for International Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, March 26-29, 2008.