Policy Analysis
-
Incentives vs Mandates: Encouraging People to Get the Covid-19 Vaccine
•
A year after the first vaccines for COVID-19 were administered, the United States is still struggling to reach herd immunity, which scientists estimate to occur when 70% of the population is vaccinated (Robertson et al, 2021). The main challenge in reaching herd immunity has been vaccine hesitancy. People have refused…
-
A Major Tear in the Chicago Safety-Net System
•
Since 2000, the Chicago area has witnessed 20 hospital closures, a loss of nearly a quarter of the city’s hospitals. In the past three years alone, there were four scheduled hospital closures in the South and West sides, though one—Mercy Hospital—was saved at the last minute by an out-of-state investor.…
-
China is Working on Green Recovery Through New Infrastructure Policies
•
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…
-
Do the Ends of Nudge Policy Justify the Means?
•
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…
-
Disaster Relief in the U.S. Often Depends on Your Race
•
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…
-
Advancing Energy Equity and Climate Solutions in Chicago
•
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,…
-
When Liberals Become Conservative: A Danish Political Culture of Islamophobia
•
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…
-
Abortion Rights Are On the Supreme Court Docket
•
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…
-
Illinois Mandates Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools
•
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.…
-
WTO Negotiations Could Soon End Exploitative Fishing Subsidies
•
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…
-
Why Good Policymakers Should Check Their Moral Judgements
•
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…