Teacher unionization has long been a disputed topic in public education. Supporters argue that unionization leads to more equitable rights and labor standards for teachers, increased teacher productivity, and improved short-run outcomes for their students (Rav... More »
It is no secret that the United States is a major producer of carbon emissions and that policies to curb the emissions of one of the biggest offenders, electricity generation, have not been successful at significantly reducing carbon emissions. However, the ph... More »
Prevailing wisdom dictates that emotion – and not reason – motivates people to give money toward important social causes. But a recent study by Matthew Lindauer and colleagues calls this into question. The study finds that rational appeals in the form of philo... More »
Use of neonic pesticides in crops has dramatically increased in the past few decades. But a growing body of research suggests these treatments have a detrimental effect on bee populations. A recent study by Anson Main, Elisabeth Webb, Keith Goyne, and Doreen M... More »
Since the enactment of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the federal government of the United States has taken a hands-on approach to alleviating poverty. From the minimum wage to food stamps, existing federal policies provide low-income families numerous ... More »
Over the past decade, opioid-related overdose has become the leading cause of death for American adults under age 50. During the same period, opioid deaths caused by synthetic narcotics increased 13-fold, and by 2017 they accounted for 60% of all opioid-relate... More »
According to the World Bank (2019), close to half the world’s population lives in countries where development goals are hindered by conflict and violence. The UNHCR (2019) claims that by the end of 2018, 70.8 million people had been forcibly displaced from the... More »
Amid the election of progressive district attorneys and passage of historic sentencing reforms, many U.S. cities are making strides toward decarceration. In an effort to reduce their prison populations while addressing sentencing bias, at least 20 states emplo... More »
The international community deploys UN peacekeeping missions to conflict zones to stop violence, protect civilians, and engage in peacekeeping negotiations. UN peacekeeping operations are the cornerstone of post-conflict reconstruction in war torn regions and ... More »
Between 1949 and 2009, at least 40 percent of intrastate conflicts were linked to natural resources, according to estimates in a UN report. A growing body of research explores these links to try to explain variation across factors like time, geography, and res... More »
Burkina Faso, a small West African country, is experiencing a child public health crisis. 88 percent of children under five years old are anemic, 16 percent are wasted — meaning they weigh too little for their height (a good predictor of mortality), and 35 per... More »
On June 23, 2016, the British people voted in a referendum to withdraw from the European Union — a historic move that is still being processed today. “Brexit” not only impacts the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union, but also the rest of the ... More »