Maxwell School News and Commentary

Simon Weschle, associate professor of political science, contributed a chapter titled "Campaign Finance" to the book "The Political Economy of Lobbying: Channels of Influence and their Regulation" (Springer, 2024).

"The recent set of labour reforms are also an encouraging development. Numerous labour regulations have been consolidated into four codes, eliminating contradictions among them," writes Devashish Mitra, professor and chair of economics. 

"The contrast with today's youth highlights broader economic and global trends, namely China's current economic slowdown, which has led to reduced hiring, stagnating wages and a general sense of job insecurity in many industries. This environment naturally makes the stability and predictability of government jobs more appealing," writes Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology.

"Geographically specific associations between county-level socioeconomic and household distress and mortality from drug poisoning, suicide, alcohol, and homicide among working-age adults in the United States," co-authored by Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat, was published in SSM - Population Health.

Encouraged by Associate Professor Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, the group of mostly MPA students used public data to address city transportation challenges.

"Estimated Arterial Stiffness, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults," co-authored by sociologists Janet Wilmoth and Andrew London, was published in Innovation in Aging.

"Digital Communication As Compensation for Infrequent In-Person Contact With Grandchildren During the Pandemic," co-authored by Merril Silverstein, professor and chair of sociology, was published in Innovation in Aging.

"Noncombat and Combat Military Service Experiences, Hearing Difficulty, and Difficulty Remembering/Concentrating," co-authored by sociologists Andrew London, Scott Landes and Janet Wilmoth, was published in Innovation in Aging.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, warns that the attacks in the Red Sea could easily drag on for the whole of 2024. “In the mind of the Houthi, this is all connected to what’s happening in Gaza,” says Murrett. “And the operations in Gaza could last for the rest of this calendar year.”

“The independents that are part of the polling…don’t like either of them. And then, of course the Democrats in the polls are not going to give Trump any positive ratings, and Republicans are not going to give Biden any positive ratings,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.