In Context
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China is Working on Green Recovery Through New Infrastructure Policies
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China’s Central Economic Working Conference raised the New Infrastructure concept in 2018, including 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), industrial internet and Internet of Things (IoT). In April 2020, to cope with the negative socio-economic impact brought about by the pandemic, the National Development and Reform Commission released a revised categorization of…
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Do the Ends of Nudge Policy Justify the Means?
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What difference can a suggested contribution make for your retirement? In 2016, the United States’ “Thrift Savings Plan” included a recommended contribution rate, or ‘anchor rate,’ in its email messaging to the plan’s participants. This relatively low-cost nudge policy led to more than $1 million in new contributions in one…
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Disaster Relief in the U.S. Often Depends on Your Race
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One of the first Executive Orders from President Biden’s Administration reads, “We must deliver environmental justice in communities all across America.” Amongst the many, many moving parts in climate and environmental policy, one of supreme importance is environmental justice and its nexus with racial and economic disparities. Certain communities have…
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Advancing Energy Equity and Climate Solutions in Chicago
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Briana Parker works at Elevate, a community-centered organization focused on fighting for policies that help people keep the lights and heat on. For 4.8 million American households facing energy insecurity in the country, cost surges – up to 30% this winter for gas-powered heat – are a growing crisis. Nationwide,…
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When Liberals Become Conservative: A Danish Political Culture of Islamophobia
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In June of 2021, Denmark’s parliament voted in favor of a law allowing the Danish authorities to send asylum seekers to reception centers outside the European Union. This vote was the most recent turn of events in Denmark’s policies to tighten immigration. In May of 2021, the Danish authorities announced…
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Abortion Rights Are On the Supreme Court Docket
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During his campaign for President, Donald Trump famously vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, at the end of his term, it remained the law of the land. This could soon change. While the Supreme Court upheld abortion rights in a 5-4 decision in Louisiana’s…
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Illinois Mandates Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools
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An education should prepare students to engage in a meaningful, productive way with the world. While academic achievement takes center-stage in our approach to this education, we often fail to provide adequate support for social development. In the United States, this failure extends to the pursuit of healthy social relationships.…
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WTO Negotiations Could Soon End Exploitative Fishing Subsidies
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Open water fishery crisis is one of the greatest “tragedies of the commons. Although open water fish stocks are a public resource, governments have degraded their value by subsidizing fisheries. According to the World Trade Organization, governments spend between $14 and $54 billion on global fishery subsidies every year. By…
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Why Good Policymakers Should Check Their Moral Judgements
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Consider bans of the headscarf, which stem from a moral objection to the object and the value system it symbolizes. A policymaker who advocates for the ban might believe that it would be for the “good” of the women affected by it in opposing a patriarchal symbol. However, for the…
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What Can We Know from China’s First Legal Order of 2021?
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China’s role on the international arena has been rising prominently. Even with a pandemic engulfing the entire globe since early 2020, the country is still attempting to accelerate its global impact. On January 9, 2021, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that the new Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-Territorial Application of…
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Harm Reduction, Healthcare, and the Opioid Overdose Crisis in Chicago
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Alex Rains is an MS1 at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She can be reached at [email protected] Overdose deaths have been a serious public health concern in the United States for many years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the severity of this crisis. By disrupting…