Joseph A. Pika is the James R. Soles professor emeritus of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and taught previously at SUNY at Buffalo. He is coauthor with Jason D. Mycoff of Conflict & Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001–2006 and coauthor with John Anthony Maltese and H. Phillips Shively of Government Matters: American Democracy in Context. He served for seven years on the Delaware State Board of Education, four years as president.