Joseph LaPalombara (born May 18, 1925) is an American political scientist who specializes in comparative politics, group interest theory, and the foreign investments made by global firms. He is the Arnold Wolfers Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Management at Yale University, where he has been teaching for over fifty years. LaPalombara has twice chaired the political science department at Yale and has also served as the director of the Yale's Institution for Social and Policy Studies. Prior to joining Yale in 1964, LaPalombara spent three years (1947-1950) at Oregon State University and an additional eleven years (1953-1964) at Michigan State University. At the latter institution he also chaired (1957-1962) the political science department.