{"id":2973,"date":"2023-05-15T12:53:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T19:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/?p=2973"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T23:05:14","slug":"superpower-california-the-indispensable-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/2023\/05\/15\/superpower-california-the-indispensable-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Superpower California: The Indispensable State?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Group Photo of Spring 2023 Policy Research Internship Project \u201cSuperpower California: The Indispensable State?\u201d with USC Center on Public Diplomacy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spring 2023: \u201cSuperpower California: The Indispensable State?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0with USC Center on Public Diplomacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the Spring 2023 semester, our POSC 395 Policy Research Internship students examined the various aspects of subnational power and how it interacts both with federal institutions and world bodies. The project covered multifaceted aspects of the dynamic relationships and how they manifest themselves in the 21st century physical and digital realm. Students sought input from multiple players at the local, regional, federal, and international levels. They presented their extensive research and recommendations to our partner,\u00a0USC Center on Public Diplomacy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Markos Kounalakis<\/a>, who leads the center.<\/p>\n

Dr. Kounalakis is a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University\u2019s Hoover Institution, a Senior Fellow at the Center on Media, Data, and Society at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and an International Journalism Fellow at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is the Second Gentleman of California, husband of Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.<\/p>\n

Sari Tannenbaum, a junior majoring in Political Science, said this about her research experience:<\/p>\n

“I had the honor of conducting scholarly research for Markos Kounalakis, who among countless accolades, is California\u2019s Second Gentleman and a fellow at Stanford\u2019s Hoover Institute. My research evaluated California\u2019s influence as a global leader in climate-forward, environmental policy with a technical focus on electricity. As a team, we identified opportunities for growth between areas in which the state leads the world, and where it falls short of its potential. This project was an incredibly special learning experience because I was able to use my academic interests to contribute to practical politics. I\u2019d like to thank Markos and the CPF team for giving me the unique opportunity to apply my education to promoting the future of California politics!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Project: <\/strong>Superpower California<\/p>\n

USC Students: <\/strong>Teya Hisel, Raegan Lusk, Jonathan Niebuhr, Sari Tannenbaum, and Ara Yacoubian<\/p>\n

Research Questions: <\/strong>What is the global role that California, a subnational entity, plays in the international system? What are the ways in which California, as a nation-state is leading the world and where is it lacking?<\/p>\n

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Read the group\u2019s full\u00a0research presentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch the video presentation on \u201cSuperpower California: The Indispensable State?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n