Research Analysis
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In Congress, Are Polarized Politics a Sign of Good Representation?
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In America today, there is a growing consensus that our politics are becoming increasingly polarized—especially in the U.S. House of Representatives. Many scholars argue that this polarization has had a negative impact on the policy making process. They have argued that, as members of Congress edge toward the ideological extremes…
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Can China Tip the Balance? The Security Dilemma in East Asia
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The “rise of China” has been one of the most popular headlines of the 21st century. Books like Destined For War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? and Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline have topped best-seller lists. Authors of these texts, as well as other scholars and policymakers,…
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Misperceptions of Covert Action
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Discussion surrounding covert action and “hybrid” warfare has recently become a topic of intense interest in academic and policy circles. Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections, the increased use of special forces, and the proliferation of cyberwarfare are just a few timely examples of fields relatively devoid of past…
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Does Fracking Put Infants at Risk?
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The emergence and development of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” has had a substantial impact on global energy production. In the United States, this process, by which water and other chemicals are forced into buried shale rock to extract natural gas and oil, has boosted energy self-sufficiency, led to…
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Increasing the value of energy storage in the wholesale electricity market
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The proliferation of renewable energy such as wind and solar power is rapidly changing the United States’ electrical grid. The growth of renewables has created a need for flexible resources capable of responding quickly to variability in electrical generation—a challenging characteristic of solar and wind power, but one that can…
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Examining the Impact of Minimum Wage and EITC on Criminal Recidivism
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Recidivism, a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, is a fundamental challenge in criminal justice. While the issue is widely discussed, few solutions have been shown to keep previous offenders from returning to criminal behavior. Part of the issue is the sheer scope of the problem: A 2005 study tracked approximately…
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Building Better Housing Vouchers Without Breaking the Bank
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is designed to help low-income families, as well as the elderly and disabled, cover the cost of “decent, safe, and sanitary housing.” Participants pay a fraction of their net household income for rent, with a…
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Preventing Opioid Abuse Through Mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
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A new study suggests that mandatory physician-led monitoring of opioid prescriptions may be an important tool in the effort to combat opioid abuse. The opioid epidemic is an increasingly serious problem in the United States, with over 50,000 people killed by opioid overdoses in 2017. President Trump declared the crisis…
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What Are the Drivers of Anti-Immigration Sentiment?
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In Western countries, anti-immigration sentiment is becoming more and more widespread. In the United States, President Trump has issued executive orders imposing severe restrictions on arrivals, while in the European Union, the Syrian refugee crisis has sown division among member states. The free movement of persons may be at risk…
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China’s Belt and Road Initiative: International Trade’s Transportation Solution?
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Infrastructure projects are often seen as an important vehicle for economic growth. One of the largest ever attempts at such a project, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has allotted massive resources to building infrastructure. Costing an estimated one trillion U.S. dollars, the BRI includes major investments in thousands of…
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Food for Thought: SNAP Distribution and Student Achievement
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Decades of innovative education reform have focused on how to improve schools, yet academic success is about more than just classrooms and teachers. One factor that may affect student achievement is food stability; researchers and policymakers are asking how a student’s access to nutritional food impacts that student’s success in…