Benjamin Radcliff is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. His current research focuses on the social scientific study of happiness within the multi-disciplinary field sometimes labeled "happiness economics." He has published articles on the connections between politics and happiness in major peer reviewed scholarly journals, including the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, and Social Forces, among other journals. This research program culminated in his 2013 book "The Political Economy of Human Happiness" (Cambridge University Press). 

Radcliff has also written on non-academic topics, including the craft beer movement, has written rock music criticism for The Trouser Press, and is coauthor (with his wife Amy Gille-Radcliff) of the book "Understanding Zen," which attempted to provide an accessible introduction to that notoriously difficult subject.