Jack Kappelman
PhD Candidate, UCLA
Department of Political Science
About Me
I am a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science at UCLA, where I study American Politics and Methodology. My research examines how citizens respond to political signals—particularly elections that signal sharp policy swings—and how political and institutional contexts shape behavior, markets, and policy implementation.
Much of my work examines the politics of firearm policy, the spatial patterns of gun violence and the role of public policy in mitigating it, and how mass shootings shape the behaviors of elected officials.
At UCLA, I am a member of the PHACT Lab and the Practical Causal Inference Lab, and an affiliate with the California Center for Population Research.
Research Interests
Elections & Political Behavior
I study how electoral signals shape behavior.
Gun Politics & Public Policy
I examine patterns of firearm purchasing, gun violence, and governmental responses to mass violence.
Causality & Spatial Methods
I bring rigorous methods to bear on questions of how institutions and policymaking shape behavior and regulatory outcomes.