David Bernell

David Bernell
Associate Professor of Political Science
School of Public Policy
[email protected]
541-737-6281

Bexell Hall 336
2251 SW Campus Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
United States

David Bernell is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the School of Public Policy at Oregon State University. His research and teaching focus on US energy policy, international relations, and US foreign policy. He is the author of the books The Energy Security Dilemma: US Policy and Practice, and Constructing US Foreign Policy: The Curious Case of Cuba. Prior to coming to OSU, he served as an appointee in the Clinton Administration with the US Office of Management and Budget, and with the US Department of the Interior.

Research/Career Interests

Policy Areas: Energy Policy, Environmental Policy, International Policy

PhD: Johns Hopkins University

Research Interests

  • Energy Policy
  • International Relations
  • American Foreign Policy
  • International Political Economy
  • Latin American Politics

Teaching

  • PS 205 - Introduction to International Relations
  • PS 344 - Latin American Politics
  • PS 351 - American Foreign Policy
  • PS 427/527 - Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control
  • PS 428/528 - Terrorism and Global Security
  • PS 458/558 - International Political Economy
  • PS 473/573 - US Energy Policy

Brief Vita

Education
  • Ph.D., Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, 1997
  • M.A., Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, 1994
  • B.A., Political Science, University of New Mexico, 1988
Professional Experience at Oregon State University
  • 2001-Present, Associate Professor, Political Science
  • 2006-2020, Director, Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Non-Academic Experience
  • 2001-2010, Renewable Energy Consultant, Think Energy, Inc.
  • 2000-2001, Advisor on Trade and Environment, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • 1998-2000, Special Assistant for Natural Resources and Energy, U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Select Publications

Books

  • David Bernell and Christopher Simon, (2016), The Energy Security Dilemma: U.S. Policy and Practice, Routledge.
  • David Bernell, (2011), Constructing US Foreign Policy: The Curious Case of Cuba, Routledge.

Journal Articles

  • Warda Ajaz and David Bernell, (2022). "California’s Adoption of Microgrids: A Tale of Symbiotic Regimes and Energy Transitions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
  • Warda Ajaz and David Bernell, (2021), "Microgrids and the Transition Toward Decentralized Energy Systems in the United States: A Multi-Level Perspective," Energy Policy.
  • Daniel Gray and David Bernell, (2020), “Tree-hugging Utilities? The Politics of Phasing Out Coal and the Unusual Alliance that Passed Oregon's Clean Energy Transition Law,” Energy Research and Social Science.
  • Stephen Gunther and David Bernell, (2019), “Challenging the System: The Role of Community Choice Aggregation in California’s Transition to a Renewable Energy Future,” The Electricity Journal.
  • Mohsin Amin and David Bernell, (2018), “Power Sector Reform in Afghanistan: Barriers to Achieving Universal Access to Electricity,” Energy Policy.
  • Inara Scott and David Bernell, (2015), “Planning for the Future of the Electric Power Sector Through Regional Collaboratives,” The Electricity Journal.
  • Hua Wang and David Bernell, (2013), "Environmental Disclosure in China: The Case of the Green Securities Policy," Journal of Environment and Development

Op-Eds

  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, "80 Years of Good Work Gone in 80 Days," The Contrarian, April 10, 2025.
  • Ambassador Thomas Graham and David Bernell, "The Greatest Possible Danger and Hazard," Defending Democracy, Substack, April 3, 2025.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, "Trump's Tariffs Will Not End Well," The Contrarian, March 10, 2025.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, "The American Surrender to Putin," The Contrarian, February 18, 2025.
  • Ambassador Thomas Graham and David Bernell, "Preserving Peace and Security in a World Threatened by Dictatorships," Defending Democracy, Substack, February 9, 2025.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, "Friends Without Benefits," The Contrarian, January 30, 2025.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, “Seize Russian Assets and Send the Money to Ukraine,” Democracy Paradox, March 12, 2024.
  • Ambassador Thomas Graham and David Bernell, “A More Perfect Union,” Democracy Paradox, February 26, 2024.
  • Ambassador Thomas Graham and David Bernell, “Success or Failure in Ukraine,” Just Security, January 12, 2024.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, “The Debt Ceiling: Enough Already,” Democracy Paradox, May 26, 2023.
  • David Bernell, “The Invasion of Ukraine and the Geopolitics of Energy,” Democracy Paradox, April 10, 2023.
  • Ambassador Thomas Graham and David Bernell,“U.S. Must Sharpen Attention to Global Crisis Posed by Russia and China,” Just Security, March 9, 2023.
  • David Bernell and Ambassador Thomas Graham, “Moving the Lines in Ukraine,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, Feb. 17, 2023.