Despite University obligations, Gutmann keeps up with research

Amy Gutmann puts her signature on more than just Penn paperwork.

While rising to the top of the administration at two universities, Gutmann has published books on topics across the sphere of political science. This is in addition to a diverse collection of articles, book chapters and reports from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which she chairs. While she doesn’t have any books in the works right now, she is interested in writing a book on bioethics, drawing on her work at the commission.

“The main themes of my corpus of works have been, I would say, the importance of deliberation and education and democracy,” Gutmann, who was also the provost at Princeton University before she came to Penn, said. “I’ve been very intrigued by how important it is for a democracy to flourish, that it have a strong system — and a diverse system — of education.”

Her most recent book, “The Spirit of Compromise: Why Governing Demands It and Campaigning Undermines It,” was released in 2012. Written with Harvard professor Dennis Thompson, a frequent collaborator, the book assesses a dearth of compromise in the modern political realm and its link to the imbalance between campaigning for political office and actual governing.

“They show that campaigning for political office calls for a mindset that blocks compromise,” the Princeton University Press website says of the book.

Gutmann said she hopes readers are left with a sense of resiliency in political participation, reiterating that individuals — particularly young people — should “stick with it” in order to make a difference.

“I remember saying to Penn students during the last presidential election that no matter who you’re supporting, whomever gets elected, you’re going to be disappointed in them,” Gutmann said. “Campaigning is uplifting — governing is the time you have to make compromises.”

Her scholarly work is reflected in the recent introduction of the President’s Engagement Prizes, which will sponsor recent graduates “to develop and implement a promising local, national or global engagement project during the year after graduation.”

Gutmann cited another of her books, the 1987 “Democratic Education,” as her favorite among her books. This book explores the democratic theory of education.

“I wrote it long ago, and it’s still assigned in courses, and it’s still very relevant to my leadership of Penn,” Gutmann said.

Gutmann’s collection of books may not be complete, she said. Drawing from her experience on the bioethics committee, Gutmann said she is considering following her chairwomanship with a book on the importance of bioethics for the future of society.

Although books titles comprise a small portion of Gutmann’s publications, she said that writing a book is a distinct experience.

“It’s the difference between a sprint and a triathlon . Writing a book is like a triathlon : you have to do the research, get a whole framework and then you actually have to write it and rewrite it,” Gutmann said. “So it’s actually a long-term process. It’s a little like a reflection.”

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