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Rein Taagepera

レイン・タアゲペラ

Rein Taagepera

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-02-28 （Tartu）
Nationality
Estonian
Languages
Estonian, English
Residence History
Tartu, Estonia → Marrakech, Morocco → Toronto, Canada → Newark, Delaware, USA → Irvine, California, USA → Tartu, Estonia

Career

Occupations
Political scientist, Politician, Physicist, Nuclear engineer
Active Years
1959-2024
Affiliations
University of California, Irvine, University of Tartu
Memberships
Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (President 1986-1988), Res Publica Party (Leader 2001-2002)

Education

University of Toronto
Faculty of Engineering / Nuclear Engineering
Degree: B.A.Sc.
Year of Graduation: 1959
Country: Canada
University of Toronto
Faculty of Arts and Science / Physics
Degree: M.A.
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: Canada
University of Delaware
Physics
Degree: Ph.D.
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: United States
University of Delaware
International Relations
Degree: M.A.
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United States
Obtained while working in industry

Awards

Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
2008
Organization: Uppsala University
Result: 受賞
APSA Longley Award
2003
Organization: American Political Science Association
Result: 受賞
APSA Hallett Award
1999
Organization: American Political Science Association
Result: 受賞
Estonian National Science Prize
1999
Category: 社会科学部門
Organization: Government of Estonia
Result: 受賞
Tuglas Prize
1990
Work: Livland-Leaveland
Result: 受賞
Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award
2014
Result: 受賞
Karl Deutsch Award
2016
Organization: International Political Science Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Livland-Leaveland

1990 Prose

Personal and normative essays on Estonian and Baltic history, politics, and culture.

Baltic historyEstonian independence

Predicting Party Sizes: The Logic of Simple Electoral Systems

2007 Political Science

Systematizes electoral systems theory into a general quantitative framework.

Electoral systemsParty systems

Making Social Sciences More Scientific: The Need for Predictive Models

2008 Methodology

Presents logical quantitative modeling approach for social sciences.

Quantitative political sciencePredictive models

Estonia: Return to Independence

1993 History

Analyzes the process of Estonia's return to independence.

Estonian history

Bibliography

  • Size and Duration of Empires: Systematics of Size
  • Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 3000 to 600 B.C.
  • Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.
  • Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems
  • Estonia: Return to Independence
  • The Baltic States: Years of Dependence, 1940-1990
  • Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia
  • The Finno-Ugric Republics and the Russian State
  • Meteoric Trajectory: The Res Publica Party in Estonia

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Quantitative and modeling approachPhysics-inspired epistemologyPersonal normative prose
Recurring Motifs
Electoral systemsEmpire growth and declineBaltic regional historyHyperbolic growth of world systems

Legacy

Pioneer in electoral systems theory, bringing quantitative revolution to political science; contributed to Estonian independence and democratization. Known for the Laakso-Taagepera effective number of parties index.

Academic Societies

  • American Political Science Association

Trivia

  • Fled Soviet-occupied Estonia in 1944.
  • Finished third in the 1992 Estonian presidential election with 23% of the vote.
  • Founding leader of Res Publica Party, which won the 2003 election, but resigned due to party's rightward shift.