Rate My Professor John Constantelos

Grand Valley State University

Political Science Comparative Politics International Relations Political Economy Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Political Methodology

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5.04/23/2026

Makes complex topics easy to understand.

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About John

Professor John Constantelos served as Professor of Political Science at Grand Valley State University from 1995 to 2025, retiring as Professor Emeritus. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University (1996), an M.A. in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (1980), an M.S. in International Food and Nutrition Policy from Tufts University (1986), and a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University (1978). Before entering academia, Constantelos worked as an international economist for a management consulting firm and managed operations for international development agencies, including CRS in Senegal and ACCION in Boston.

At Grand Valley State University, he developed and taught a range of courses in comparative politics, international relations, and research methods, such as Issues in World Politics, International Political Economy, Government and Politics of Western Europe, The European Union, Political Analysis, and the International Relations Capstone. He supervised numerous Capstone, Honors, and independent student research projects and incorporated diplomatic simulations in his classes. Constantelos served as Department Chair and International Relations Program Coordinator, chaired search committees for eleven professors and an associate dean, and fostered faculty and student exchange programs with the University of Perugia. He delivered lectures and short courses at partner institutions in Rome, Germany, Poland, and Albania. His research examines the domestic politics of European and international integration, global public opinion on foreign aid and international organizations, and interest group strategies in multi-level governance across the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy. Notable publications include “Can’t Buy Me Love (with Foreign Aid)” (Foreign Policy Analysis, 2023), “Lobbying across the USA: from state vetoes to federal venues” (Interest Groups & Advocacy, 2018), “Vetoes and Venues: Economic Crisis and the Roads to Recovery in Michigan and Ontario” (Canadian Journal of Political Science, 2014), “Playing the Field: Federalism and the Politics of Venue Shopping in the United States and Canada” (Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 2010), “Explaining Generosity: A Comparison of U.S. and European Public Opinion on Foreign Aid” (Journal of Transatlantic Studies, 2009), and “The Europeanization of Interest Group Politics in Italy: Business Associations in Rome and the Regions” (Journal of European Public Policy, 2004). He held a visiting fellowship at the European University Institute in Florence, was a Fulbright Scholar in Genoa, and received research support from the Agnelli Foundation and the Canadian Embassy. In 2018, he received Grand Valley State University’s Internationalization Award.