From the Field
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Right-to-Work Laws in the Midwest: Evaluating Impact on Low-Wage Workers
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Right-to-Work (RTW) laws, which prohibit mandatory union membership as a condition of employment, have been a focal point of policy debates across the United States. Over the past decade, several Midwest states, including Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin, have adopted RTW laws, shifting the labor landscape in a region historically characterized by strong…
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Minorities: Strangers within their own country
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On Oct. 7, 2024, the 10th anniversary of my father’s passing, I yearned to connect with my older sister in Bangladesh. Unable to visit our parents’ graves herself, my sister arranged for someone to light candles in their memory. However, the images she sent me depicted not only the illuminated…
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Manipur Burning: India’s Silent Crisis the World Must Not Ignore
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The adage, “You can’t expect a new destination by walking the same path,” resonates deeply with the ongoing tragedy in Manipur, a northeastern Indian state that shares a nearly 400-kilometer border with Myanmar. Since 2023, the region has been engulfed in relentless ethnic violence, tearing apart the fragile social fabric…
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The Policy Barriers to Reducing Meat Consumption
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The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has consistently emphasized the need to reduce animal-based food consumption in Western countries in its annual report, The State of Food and Agriculture. In particular, reducing red and processed meat for public health and environmental reasons1. The 2024 edition emphasizes sustainability and health,…
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The Country of Perpetual Potential: Indonesia’s Barriers in Renewable Energy Transition
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Indonesia, with a renewable energy potential of 3,692 GW, is among the most resource-rich countries in the world for sustainable energy development. However, between 2020 and 2023, renewable energy usage increased only from 2% to 3%. This accounted for approximately 14.5% of the nation’s electricity generation, which falls short of…
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The Rise of Digital Lending
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Traditionally, businesses and consumers have obtained loans from banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. However, in recent years, alternative forms of credit have arisen from the burgeoning financial technology (“fintech”) industry and large, established technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft (“Big Tech”). Rapid credit growth can often forecast…
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A Refugee Compact for the Rohingya
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Nearly one million Rohingya refugees currently reside in camps in Bangladesh. Most Rohingya live in temporary settlements where conditions are not safe. The Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh cannot repatriate without threat from Myanmar’s military government, and any attempts at large-scale repatriation are against their best interests. Repatriation is no…
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New Evidence on E-Cigarette Taxes Highlights Competing Benefits and Pitfalls
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Cigarette use in the United States has been on a consistent downward trend in recent decades, dropping from 20.9% to 12.5% between 2005 and 2020. However, the rising popularity of electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) has counteracted this reduction in tobacco use. This trend has been particularly prominent among adolescents. Between 2011…
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The Role of Teachers In Social Inequality
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As the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “All students deserve access to safe, supportive schools and classrooms.” Today, these privileges remain out of reach for many. Since the 1990s, disciplinary action and exclusionary policies have widened racial gaps in school environments as they have increased in popularity over recent…
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Does Competition Law Stand in the Way of Sustainable Industry?
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In 2015, the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’, meat from chickens raised in more organic conditions, was born in the Netherlands as a collective move by farmers’ organizations and chicken producers. This decision was the result of producers conceding to fierce campaigning from animal protection organizations. However, the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’ also…
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Risk Assessment Instruments as a Part of Bail Reform: Do they help or hurt?
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The discussion around pretrial risk assessment instruments (RAIs) in the U.S. has become increasingly politicized and polarized. Initially celebrated for their supposedly impartial and accurate risk predictions, RAIs have increasingly been employed during pretrial release decision-making by jurisdictions seeking to address racial bias, increase consistency and fairness of judicial decisions,…