Law & Politics
-
Electoral Representation for Racial Minorities: Victims of Their Own Success?
•
Even as decades have passed since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans and Hispanics continue to encounter disproportionately low levels of electoral representation. In search of an appropriate remedy, the U.S. Congress passed amendments to the Voting Rights Act in 1982, hoping to promote proportional…
-
This Is Why We Nudge: Reaffirming Nobel Winner Richard Thaler’s ‘Nudge’
•
In October 2017, Richard Thaler won the University of Chicago its 29th Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics. Stockholm’s nod to Thaler is less coup than coronation, of both Thaler himself and of the broad applicability and value of behavioral economics as an indispensable discipline,…
-
Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy: How Birth Place Affects Presidential Decision-Making
•
U.S. presidents make up perhaps the most analyzed collection of individuals in the entire world. Researchers routinely mine demographic, electoral and biographical data to gain insights into the composition of the 45-entry dataset and to better understand the decisions presidents make in the White House. Findings range from marginally useful…
-
The Future of US Foreign Policy: An End to Liberal Internationalism?
•
Liberal internationalism, despite what the phrase may imply, does not favor the views of Democrats over Republicans. Instead, liberal internationalism features bipartisan values—including freedom, democracy, an open global economy, and respect for human rights. Defined by international engagement, it promotes liberal states’ engagement with other states’ affairs and wider global…
-
Intermestic Dynamics of Power Transitions in Dictatorships
•
In the face of domestic opposition, a dictator accountable for human rights violations is unlikely to relinquish power due to fears of domestic punishment and international prosecution. What if the domestic opposition has also caused unspeakable civilian casualties? This would present an opportunity for strategic adjustments to a dictator’s decision…
-
What Makes Military Dictators Transition Out of Dictatorships?
•
Frequent leadership cycles are common in dictatorships. Historically, military dictators, whose power is derived from the armed forces, have been subject to more subsequent coups and regime changes than their non-military counterparts. Given their short-lived tenure, military dictators always have to gauge their fate based on the premise of losing…
-
Affirmative Consent: The 21st Century Basis of Sex Regulation
•
What is the sex bureaucracy? How has it interacted with social norms to shape regulations regarding sex in the United States over time? In what ways has it changed, and to what extent has its new form retained a variety of bureaucratic elements? Should the public be concerned about unequal…
-
When Does War Transpire? Unlikely War Onset Under Uncertainty
•
Scholars have attempted to clarify whether uncertainty about the outcome of a potential war—victory or defeat—influences state behavior in international crises. Until recently, there was consensus that when two states in a bilateral context have equivalent capabilities, and therefore experience high outcome uncertainty, they are more inclined to undergo conflict.…
-
Are Economic Elites Anti-Democratic? Why Economic Elites May Support Democratization
•
Are economic elites always anti-democratic? Not in some contexts. Structural changes in the Bolivian economy cultivated a new set of economic elites in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They typically supported the right-leaning Hugo Banzer, who led a series of coups against the left-leaning junta and established a tyrannical…
-
Causes of War: When the Unknown Creates False Optimism
•
Differing estimates and perceptions of opponents’ power may increase the likelihood of war. Countries are generally incentivized to misrepresent their own strength and capabilities, and such stratagems to retain advantage during military bargaining may lead to mutually optimistic perceptions: each state believes it is more powerful than its opponent. As…
-
The Lefts, Mexico, and Latin America: A Conversation with Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas
•
Biography: Mr. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano is the son of late Mexican President and Mexican Revolutionary General, Lázaro Cárdenas del Río. He has been a Mexican Senator, Governor of the State of Michoacán, and the first democratically-elected Mayor of Mexico City. In 1988 he split with the PRI and launched the…