Maxwell School News and Commentary

"If time is a political resource of value," says Elizabeth Cohen, professor political science, "then anything you can do to force people to spend their time on what you want them to do, not the work they would want to do, is effective." 

"Trump knows this is an important, wealthy group, and I’m sure that’s why he’s seeking their support," says Prema Kurien, professor of sociology, of Trump's courting of the Indian American vote.

Chinese students in the U.S. are now "politicised and marginalised at an unprecedented level," as Washington is sending "very unfriendly signals," says Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology.

"What the federal government—the president or secretaries possessing delegated authority—have not done yet is use the D.P.A. [Defense Production Act] to create a permanent, sustainable, redundant, domestic supply chain for all things pandemic: testing, swabs, N95 masks, etc.," says Jamie Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law and professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

After serving as its director or co-director since 2005, Catherine Gerard has stepped down from her leadership role at the Maxwell School’s renowned Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), effective July 1, 2020. Gerard will continue as an adjunct professor of public administration and associate director for the Executive Education Programs at Maxwell, and also continue her work as co-director of the Collaborative Governance Initiative at PARCC. 

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, explains that face masks, during the COVID-19 pandemic, became politicized and that we need to prevent a similar reaction when it comes time to convince the public they should get vaccinated for a similar public health crisis. 

"What’s really important right now is getting money out quickly, and Congress can’t even do that," says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs. "I worry about tacking on green stimulus, or anything else that slows down the process. We can worry about financing the green transition six months from now."

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, says she was surprised to see such enormous divides emerge as the pandemic wore on, as according to other research she’s conducted, moments of extreme anxiety and uncertainty can actually make people more open to new sources of information.