James R. Flynn, M.A., Ph.D. is Emeritus Professor, Department of Politics, University of Otago, New Zealand. He was Head of Department from 1967 to 1996. He is on the Editorial Board of Intelligence.

The Flynn Effect is the rise of average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test scores over the generations, an effect seen in most parts of the world, although at greatly varying rates. It is named after Jim, who did much to document it and promote awareness of its implications. This increase has been continuous and roughly linear from the earliest days of testing to the present.

Author of six books, Jim has combined political and moral philosophy with psychology to clarify problems such as justifying humane ideals and whether it makes sense to rank races and classes by merit. He has been profiled in Scientific American and ran for the New Zealand Parliament in 1993 and 1996 as Alliance candidate for Dunedin North. The American Psychological Association has devoted a symposium and a book to his research. Research Interests: Humane ideals and ideological debate; classics of political philosophy; race, class, and IQ.