André Blais

Blais was born in Drummondville, Quebec.^[2] He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Université Laval and master's and doctoral degrees from York University.^[3] His doctoral dissertation was "Politique agricole et résultats électoraux en milieu agricole au Québec".

At the University of Montreal, where he is now professor emeritus,^[3] Blais has headed the research group in electoral studies since 2001, initially as a Tier I Canada Research Chair and since 2015 as holder of a University Research Chair.^[4][5][6] From 1988 to 1993 he was an investigator in the Canadian Election Study; from 1997 to 2006 he was principal investigator. He is a former president of the Canadian Political Science Association, and a former chair of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems.^[6]

Blais became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1999.^[3][7] In 1996, he was awarded the Prix Marcel-Vincent by Acfas.^[3][8] He won the 2019 Killam Prize for Social Sciences.^[9] In 2021, he received the Prix Léon-Gérin, one of the Prix du Québec.^[10]

• Blais, André (2000). To Vote or not to Vote. The merits and limits of rational choice theory. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-4129-5.
• Nevitte, Neil; Blais, André; Gidengil, Elisabeth; Nadeau, Richard (2000). Unsteady State: The 1997 Canadian Federal Election. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-541466-0.
• Fournier, Patrick; van der Kolk, Henk; Carty, R.Kenneth; Blais, André; Rose, Jonathan (2011). When Citizens Decide. Lessons from citizen assemblies on electoral reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-956784-3.