Archive
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The IRS Should Collect Racial Data
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The U.S. tax collection agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), currently does not ask tax filers to disclose their race or ethnicity. This well-intentioned policy seeks to prevent racial discrimination and racially-motivated enforcement actions. Yet in a recent paper, George Washington University Law Professor Jeremy Bearer-Friend contends that omitting race…
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Trump and COVID-19: 5 Election Scenarios
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President Trump shocked the nation last week when he announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. Reports of the president’s medical treatment suggest that he is suffering from serious symptoms, throwing an already chaotic election season into further disarray. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s move to create a Commission on…
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The Policy of Delivering Electricity
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Policymakers, spurred by the use of widespread electrification to achieve low carbon economies, have used varying policy approaches to bring about a more digitized, decentralized, and decarbonized grid. Bringing about a cleaner and smarter electrical system can involve increased engagement and participation of customers in the electricity sector, deployment of…
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The Tolerance of American Inequality
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The killing of George Floyd in the custody of the Minneapolis police triggered widespread and persistent protests across the United States. A key flash point among protesters has been economic inequality and racism. History supports their cause—for the last thirty years, we have witnessed a steady increase in income inequality…
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The Energy Demand Crisis Within the Public Health Crisis
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As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, staying at home has become the easiest and most effective way to save lives. Governments across the world have translated this public health measure into policy by enacting “shelter in place” orders, confining millions to their homes. As a result of these orders, residential…
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The Jobs Numbers are Bad
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The jobs report was released today, October 2nd, with the preliminary estimate of the unemployment rate at 7.9%. Following last month’s better-than-expected jobs report, Senate Republicans unveiled a slimmed-down coronavirus relief bill. The more comprehensive House bill remains in committee, where it is unlikely to progress. After a quick floor…
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Gender Equality and the City
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In the last last few years, the division between cities and rural areas has become a prominent topic of discussion, as it has huge repercussions for the political landscape of the United States. Many of these discussions try to understand the reasons for the disconnect between rural and urban areas…
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Hate the Player and the Game? How Hate Speech Spreads in Online Gaming Communities
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Since its inception, social media has been a vital tool for democracy, serving as an indispensable platform for people to exercise their rights to speech, expression, and assembly. However, with the recent insurgence of hate crimes like the 2017 Charlottesville attack, policymakers and stakeholders seek to prevent the exploitation of…
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The Rushed Confirmation of Amy Barrett
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Today, President Trump nominated 7th Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. As previously reported, any of the potential replacements would move the ideological center of the Supreme Court to the right. Importantly, while the rightward shift of the center of the…
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New Methods in Drug Surveillance Show Promise in Reducing Suicide
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Mental health, suicide, and how to address these issues are increasingly salient parts of the national health discussion in the United States. For well over a decade, the suicide rate has increased and is now the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. The majority of suicides are…
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Reparations Is the Only Choice
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To address racial disparities faced by Black Americans, policymakers must prioritize a Black agenda highlighted by a federal reparations policy. For many scholars, reparations—as a policy—represent an initial attempt to acknowledge, redress, and provide finality of judgement for the financial hardships caused by slavery and Jim Crow. In “Resurrecting the…