Francesca Vassallo, PhD

Dr. Francesca Vassallo is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Political Science Department at the University of Southern Maine. Her research interests and publications have focused on conventional and unconventional political behavior, French and European politics, European public opinion, US-EU relations and protest action. In addition to journal articles and book chapters, her book France, Social Capital and Political Activism (Palgrave) came out in 2010.  She has been the guest editor of special issues of the journals PS: Political Science & Politics, Partecipazione e Conflitto and German Politics and Society. She is currently working on a book investigating levels of EU support in France over time. She was awarded a visiting fellowship from the Centre for European Studies of the Australian National University (2015), a visiting research position at the Center for the Study of Democracy of the University of California Irvine (2016), and an Europa Policy Lab Fellowship from the Centre for European Studies of the Australian National University (2018-9). She has lectured and given presentations in her field of research at universities, public opinion forums and government agencies in many countries, from North America to Europe and Australia.

Professor Vassallo received her Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University (2002), her M.A. in German and European Studies from Georgetown University (2000), her M.A. in International Affairs from American University (1996), and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Padoa (Italy) (1993).