Maxwell School News and Commentary

“Pumping groundwater in Arizona remains largely unregulated,” writes Natalie Koch, professor of geography. “It’s this legal failing that, in part, allows the Saudi company to draw unlimited amounts of water to grow an alfalfa crop that feeds dairy cows 8,000 miles away.”

Published by Cultural Dynamics, Christopher DeCorse, professor and chair of anthropology, reviews "Reconstructing the Landscapes of Slavery: A Visual History of the Plantation in the Nineteenth-Century Atlantic World," where the authors examine the economic and political restructuring of 19th century slavery through contemporary paintings, plans and images.

"There is a well-documented history in the U.S. of marginalizing people with IDD (intellectual or developmental disability). Our hope is that we will not add to that history, but will take the necessary steps to ensure that people with IDD are provided the opportunity to live and thrive in the midst of the ongoing pandemic," says Landes, associate professor of sociology.

How can governments properly prepare now for when the next disaster strikes? Chris Mihm, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs, provides six steps that give leaders a practical approach to emergency preparedness in a report published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government.

Brian Taylor, professor of political science, tells Newsweek that Zelensky's visit is "well-timed" and intends to signal that U.S. support remains strong, despite the Republican Party soon taking control of the House.

University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez says “state policy knobs are a lever that we could use to really turn this country around and stop this alarming—just horrible when you think about it—increase in the risk of dying before age 65.”

"A world in which human interaction and emotional and facial expressions are surveilled and normed in such a way that it’s ethically defective in many different ways [is] like something straight from a 'Black Mirror' episode," says Johannes Himmelreich, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs.

Rather than generating heat, these devices transfer heat from the cool outdoors into the warm indoors and vice versa during warm weather. Heat pumps rely on electricity instead of natural gas or propane, both of which have a higher carbon emission than renewable electricity such as wind or solar, says Jay S. Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance. 

"Minority Rights, Governing Regimes, or Secular Elites: Who Benefits from the Protection of Religious and Anti-Religious Speech by the U.S. Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights?," co-authored by Maxwell alum Nathan Carrington, Professor of Political Science Thomas Keck and political science Ph.D. student Claire Sigsworth, was published in the Journal of Law and Courts.

On the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, welcomes a different writer, politician, activist, public official or business professional to talk about their work each week.