Maxwell School News and Commentary

"I think it is fair to say that the tax increase—assuming it is as big as Senator Sanders projects—is about as large as the [13-point] tax increases enacted to finance World War II," as measured as a share of GDP, says Leonard Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics.

Professor of Economics Mary Lovely says the rules governing scientists’ ties to Chinese research institutions are murky and sometimes lead prosecutors to charge people who have made innocent mistakes. "People can stumble into things inadvertently. The rules have to be very clear and if someone violates those clear rules, then you throw the book at them," she says.

"American higher education should really provide sustained support to Chinese international students" due to the anxieties they face during the COVID-19 scare, says Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology and director of Asian/American Studies.

Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher likens the 2020 Democratic primary to the 2016 GOP primary when several rivals of then-candidate Donald Trump kept their campaigns alive for as long as possible in hopes of stopping the eventual nominee's rise.

Elizabeth Cohen, professor of political science, provides the full scope of the immigration bias against individuals belonging to marginalized groups, starting in the days just after 9/11, and examines how the panic of the time gave way to the creation of a complex and unmonitored infrastructure that the Trump administration has unleashed without recourse.

"The general phenomenon is one where primary voters are wanting to make decisions among the candidates that are the viable ones. They want to be choosing among those who have a chance," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"Everything the president has done has shown that the advice of more traditional economists has actually been very solid—so we don’t see the trade deficit closing as a result," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. 

"One of the main lenses to look at political contributions is as investments. That often leads to big investors hedging their bets, which they often do," says Professor Grant Reeher. He was interviewed for the Modern Healthcare article, about healthcare executives and the political consequences of their campaign donations