Maxwell School News and Commentary

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says that while the primary focus needs to be on the human cost of the crisis, "it is in fact a very good natural experiment to answer the question of how deep our polarization goes — and the answer is, very damn deep."

James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law talked to the New York Times regarding the federal governments, authority over the security of our medical supply chain, amid urging by State and local authorities.

Sarah Hamersma, an associate professor of public administration and international affairs, recently won a $140,058 award from the WT Grant Foundation to support her project “Keeping the ‘Great Equalizer’ Fed: SNAP Access and Young Adult’s Educational Engagement.” 

"The Insurrection Act may be invoked only following an invasion, insurrection or widespread domestic violence," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "Only if states attempt to leave the Union would state defiance enable Insurrection Act authority. Otherwise the states control their citizens' health, welfare and safety."

"The divide in anxiety along partisan lines is very troubling," and that it is "likely to continue until the president and conservative media allow the health experts to lead the messaging," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, along with Bethany Albertson of the University of Texas, discussed their book "Anxious Politics: Democratic Citizenship in a Threatening World," and how it can help explain the current public health crisis. 

"If martial law were invoked, the government would be conducted ad hoc by the president or a military commander based entirely on his or her opinion of what was needed to meet the emergency, unbound by any laws and with no transparency or public participation, and probably no accountability afterward," writes William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. 

"If there is a gap between voluntary production and what is needed, or anticipated to be needed, the DPA [Defense Production Act] is the mechanism to close that gap," says the Hon. James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law.

"As communities take matters into their own hands, implementing their own safety protocols and taking the helm of how they each prepare for the coming pandemic, we see a further erosion of the federal government’s authority," says Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations.