Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Commentary
Gadarian Speaks with WBUR About the Politicization of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Democracy
“It turns out that partisanship just swamped everything else as early as March of 2020," says Shana Gadarian, professor and chair of political science.
See related: COVID-19, Political Parties, United States
Purser Discusses Syracuse’s Housing Market, High Rent Costs in Syracuse.com Article
“Certainly, there’s not enough affordable housing,” says Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology. “You have a situation of high poverty and a really kind of outrageous rental market in Syracuse.”
See related: Housing, New York State
McDowell Talks to Foreign Policy About De-Dollarization
“To me, de-dollarization just means a government’s ability to reduce its dependence or reliance on the dollar,” says Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science. “I think the key thing here is to try to distinguish or separate the concept of de-dollarization from the end of dollar dominance. I don’t think those two things have to go together.”
See related: China, Economic Policy, Government, International Affairs
Flores-Lagunes Comments on Biden’s Nomination for Federal Reserve Board in Bloomberg Article
Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, professor of economics, says the nomination [of Adriana Kugler] is “fundamental,” calling the lack of Hispanic representation at the Fed a “glaring aspect of inequality” in the U.S.
See related: Federal, LatinX, United States
Elizabeth Cohen Speaks With Washington Examiner About the Ending of Title 42
“Title 42 is only the most recent of a long history of using health concerns as a justification for free movement restrictions," says Elizabeth Cohen, professor of political science. "For example, it was only in 2010 that restrictions were removed on the entry of persons who are HIV positive."
See related: Congress, Federal, Political Parties, U.S. Immigration, United States
Benanav Quoted in WIRED Article on Compensation for Workers Who Train AI Chatbots
Surveys indicate that Swedish citizens display less anxiety about robots taking their jobs, in part because when companies introduce new technologies, they often pay to upgrade their workers’ skills. “If you upskill workers, you pay them more,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “That's a more durable and sustainable process.”
See related: Autonomous Systems, Labor
McDowell Talks to The Guardian, VOA About China’s Push to Internationalize Its Currency
"Over the last 15 years or so, we've seen some policies aimed at promoting its [renminbi] international use, but we've also seen a lot of policies that make it less attractive," says Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.
See related: China, Economic Policy, Government, International Affairs
Barton Article on Making Primaries Nonpartisan, or Eliminating Them, Published in Governing
"Primary elections are where most of those who govern us are chosen. Can making them nonpartisan—or eliminating them altogether—diminish the impact of ideological fringes? What has happened in Louisiana suggests that it can," writes Richard Barton, assistant teaching professor of public administration and international affairs and policy studies.
See related: State & Local, U.S. Elections, United States
Reeher Weighs In on CNN’s Trump Town Hall, Debate Over Media Coverage in The Hill
Trump “is a former president. He is, whether we like it or not, a legitimate candidate for the nomination. So I think it is entirely appropriate to host a town hall,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.
See related: Media & Journalism, U.S. Elections, United States
Koch Quoted in The Hill Article on Saudi Arabian Alfalfa Farms in Arizona
“If they [Saudi Arabia] want to be able to guarantee their population food security, they know that they can’t really do that domestically,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. The Arizonan land was particularly appealing to the kingdom “because you can get more bang for your buck when you buy that farm,” says Koch.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water