Paul E. Sum is Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Northwestern University (1996). In recent years, Paul Sum has collaborated with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, Democracy International, the National Democratic Institute, World Learning, the International Research & Exchanges Board, and the American Council of Learned Societies, and in 2009–2010 he was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania. He currently serves as Chair of the Society for Romanian Studies within the American Political Science Association. His research covers topics such as the role of political culture in democratization, labor migration, political socialization, and the role of NGOs in the development of social capital.