Maxwell School News and Commentary

A single piece of information rarely changes anyone’s opinion, "whether it’s true-or false," says Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, "That’s a good thing." The idea that a handful of unreliable outlets were going to substantially alter views or behaviors "is pretty far-fetched, given what we know about the stability of people’s political attitudes," she adds.

"'The Dow's off 1,000 points, oh my goodness, that's horrible.' But the Dow's [near] 30,000 points, so that's a 3% drop," says Donald Dutkowsky, professor emeritus of economics, adding that a 3% drop is not good, but not awful. "I would advise investors to take a deep breath. If you're in it for the long-term for like your pension, take a deep breath and stay the course."

"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.

"This government will be a mere postponement of conflict if it gives a blind eye to the corruption and grand theft that has created a ghastly and deadly form of inequality in South Sudan since 2005," writes Jok Madut Jok, professor of anthropology.

"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.

"Many Sudanese people from the areas that were terrorised by his security forces have said that trying him in Sudan would be a slap in the face of all these victims and their communities, for they cannot be confident that there won’t be Sudanese judges who might rig the process in his favour," writes Professor of Anthropology Jok Madut Jok.

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.