Maxwell School News and Faculty Media, Opinion and Analysis

Monnat weighs in on Central New York COVID-19 deaths in Syracuse.com article

"To keep things in perspective, there have been 330 COVID deaths in the county over the whole year so far," says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion. "There are still far more deaths annually from heart disease and cancer," she adds. But, "If these numbers are similar for 2020," Monnat says, “COVID will be the third-leading cause of death in the county this year."

January 5, 2021

Radcliffe quoted in Deseret News article on COVID-19 double standards

For people struggling to stay motivated to continue social distancing and wearing masks, cases where public officials ignore the very rules they are imposing on others can be frustrating. In the field of behavioral ethics, this phenomenon is called "ethical fading," says Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs. The term describes the way people deceive themselves to hide the wrongness of their choices. But, officials should be held to a higher standard, he says, especially when public health is on the line. "People who have considerable power or ability to influence others have a greater obligation to make sure that their actions match their words—because their words and actions can affect the behavior and welfare of others," says Radcliffe. Read more in the Deseret News article, "7 times public officials had double standards on COVID-19."

January 4, 2021

Monnat discusses COVID’s role in rising drug overdose deaths with the Associated Press

December 23, 2020

McDowell looks at policy responses to COVID-19 economic fallout in World Politics Review

Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science, looks back and then looks ahead at government responses to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in his latest article, "Governments Acted Fast to Save the Economy. Now Too Many Have Pandemic Fatigue," published in World Politics Review.

December 22, 2020

See related: COVID-19, Economic Policy, United States

Schwartz discusses challenges of post-COVID school mobility in The 74

"The literature says, 'These [mobile] kids do worse,'" says Amy Ellen Schwartz, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Affairs. "But really, on the whole, we’re unable to fully disentangle the effects of moving from the underlying factors that led to it. And from a policy point of view, I’m not sure it matters: You show me a kid who’s moved three times in the last eight months, I’ll show you a kid who needs special attention."

December 16, 2020

Purser cited in Washington Post article on economic relief package

According to research by Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, somewhere between 2.4 million and 5 million American households are at risk of eviction in January alone if Congress fails to reach an agreement on economic emergency relief.

December 15, 2020

Wiemers examines vulnerability to COVID-19 complications in new study

Emily E. Wiemers, Scott Abrahams, Marwa AlFakhri, V. Joseph Hotz, Robert F. Schoeni & Judith A. Seltzer

December 14, 2020

See related: COVID-19, State & Local

Heflin discusses impact of COVID-19 on food security in Daily Gazette

In a choice between basic necessities, often, food is the first expense to be slashed, a decision that can result in adverse health effects for high-risk people. "This could put a further strain on the non-COVID health care system," says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

December 14, 2020

See related: COVID-19, Food Security, United States

Sultana quoted in Truthout article on students' travel during pandemic

It’s a common practice for people throughout the world to observe holidays far from their loved ones, says Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography and the environment, suggesting that observing Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States should be no different. She points out that the largest pilgrimage in the world, the Hajj, was canceled earlier this year. "This pandemic needs to be reined in, so both individual choices matter alongside formal policy advice and institutional mechanisms that promote pandemic response," she says. Read more in the Truthout article, "Hundreds of Thousands of Students Traveled Home This Week Amid COVID Spike."

December 1, 2020

See related: COVID-19, United States

Gadarian discusses partisan divide over COVID-19 in USA Today

"I thought at some point, reality would come back in for people and they would have a hard time balancing their motivations to stay consistent with their partisanship with what's going on on the ground," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science. "That was wholly optimistic on my part."

November 19, 2020

See related: COVID-19, Political Parties, United States

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