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Q&A: Gun violence pressures elected officials to make reforms
With three mass shooting within a week leaving 24 Californians dead, public policy makers are searching for answers.... Read more
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Rural water infrastructure development research demonstrates ethnically, racially uneven economic outcomes
A research study led by J. Tom Mueller, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, was published in the first issue of a new journal in the Nature series.... Read more
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Are millennials getting more conservative as they age? Why it's hard to know
"As people age, they become more conservative" is a well worn political aphorism. It is cited frequently in discussions and research about generational politics. It's been deployed in various ways in the popular discourse—a way of talking about the limits of progressive politics and the power of folk wisdom.... Read more
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Study: Modern arms technologies help autocratic rulers stay in power
Autocrats and dictators quickly acquire new arms technologies from abroad and often use them against their own citizens. Now a study of multiple nations during the period 1820–2010 shows that the spread of military technologies inhibits democratic reform. This raises serious questions regarding the future.... Read more
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Investigating ways to speed up the abolishment of female circumcision
Female circumcision is so harmful that it is quite clear that society would be better off without this kind of practice, but so far progress has been slow.... Read more
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Tracking online hate speech that follows real-world events
A machine-learning analysis has revealed patterns in online hate speech that suggest complex—and sometimes counterintuitive—links between real-world events and different types of hate speech. Yonatan Lupu of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on January 25.... Read more
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Social work researchers examine the health impacts of US immigration policy
Immigration is one of the most controversial social and political issues in American life. Yet little attention is given to the aftermath of U.S. immigration policies or the immigrant Americans who are deported back to their country of origin. What is the resulting impact on mental and physical health disparities,... Read more
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COVID-19 conspiracy theories that spread fastest focused on evil, secrecy
In the early pandemic, conspiracy theories that were shared the most on Twitter highlighted malicious purposes and secretive actions of supposed bad actors behind the crisis, according to an analysis of nearly 400,000 posts.... Read more
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Age over youth? How the 'grandfather effect' is shaping world politics
As millennial and post-millennial voters become the largest group of voters around the world, Flinders University experts warn that the 'grandfather effect' has seen people from previous generations retain or elected to officeat an advanced age.... Read more
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Can online civic education strengthen democratic values?
A study published in the American Journal of Political Science shows that civic education interventions can work to increase support for democracy, and doing so in the social media context can reach many more people, with potentially much greater overall impact, than was previously the case.... Read more
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Study finds enforcement is key to mandatory voting
Mandatory voting laws are known to increase voter turnout, but how significant are their effects?... Read more
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Identity—not income—drives desire to secede, according to new model
What most sparks a region's desire to seek independence from their country—income or identity?... Read more
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Gun control measures associated with reduced police use of force
As police departments and activists look for strategies to reduce excessive use of force by police, new research from the University of Michigan shows limited data, lack of transparency and irregular implementation of reforms make it difficult to determine which approaches are effective.... Read more
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Supporting evidence-based policymaking in The Gambia
Researchers working on the FACE-Africa project have co-developed country-specific information and tools with Gambian food system stakeholders to evaluate possible strategies for adapting to climate change and ensuring sufficient healthy food for The Gambia. Their recommendations and key findings are now available in a new IIASA policy brief.... Read more
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Veganism: Political philosophers argue we should see it as a political movement rather than a dietary choice
The start of a new year these days signals the launch of Veganuary, a campaign which encourages people to give up animal products for the month of January.... Read more
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Children in the North of England most vulnerable to cost of living crisis: Report
A new report, co-authored by a University of York academic, has warned that children living in the North of England are among the most vulnerable to rising living costs.... Read more
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American gerontocracy may be shutting out young candidates, ignoring the problems of youth
Leaders in the U.S. are getting older. For example, politicians in the House of Representatives are 20 years older than the average voter, and the country's 80-year-old President may stand for re-election. According to research from the University of Gothenburg, there is a risk that younger voters will become disinterested... Read more
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Understanding China's political will to advance conservation and sustainability
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from Northern Arizona University examined the core beliefs of the Chinese government, aiming to uncover opportunities to slow climate change by leveraging Beijing's political will for sustainability and conservation gains.... Read more
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Can you judge trustworthiness based on looks? New research says no
A new study from Rice University political scientist Rick Wilson and Texas A&M economist Catherine Eckel has examined the topic of trustworthiness. The article, titled "Attributions of Trust and Trustworthiness," will appear in an upcoming edition of Political Behavior.... Read more
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When it comes to finding Australia's future leaders, both the Liberals and Labor have a women problem: New study
The Liberal Party's recently published review of the 2022 federal election defeat does not mince words: the party has a problem with women.... Read more
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Kenyan prisoners on death row weren't deterred by the threat of the death penalty, research finds
Kenya's last execution of a prisoner was in 1987. But the country still hosts a death row population of nearly 600. Almost all were sentenced to death for murder or robbery with violence. New sentences are handed down every year.... Read more
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Q&A: How Jacinda Ardern's resignation shows that women still face an uphill battle in politics
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Jan. 19, 2023, that she will soon resign from office. "I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," Ardern said.... Read more
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Across the US, White neighborhoods have more greenery, fewer dilapidated buildings, fewer multi-family homes: Study
Historic redlining and other racist policies have led to present-day racial and economic segregation and disinvestment in many cities across the United States. Research has shown how neighborhood characteristics and resources are associated with health disparities such as preterm birth and asthma, but most of these studies are limited in... Read more
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Study of massive 2020 digital ad campaign to impact US presidential race shows it had little impact
A team of researchers affiliated with a range of institutions in the U.S. and one in Kenya has conducted an analysis of the impact of a massive digital ad campaign run prior to the U.S. presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump to learn more about how effective it... Read more
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How to talk to someone about conspiracy theories in five simple steps
People's first instinct when engaging with conspiracy believers is often to try and debunk their ideas with factual and authoritative information.... Read more
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China's population is now inexorably shrinking
China's National Bureau of Statistics has confirmed what researchers such as myself have long suspected—that 2022 was the year China's population turned down, the first time that has happened since the great famine brought on by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1959-1961.... Read more
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An examination of federal personnel changes in the Trump era
According to a new analysis, the total number of people employed full-time by the U.S. federal government remained largely unchanged by the end of the Trump administration, but with significant variation in growth, downsizing, and turnover between agencies. Brian Libgober of Northwestern University and Mark Richardson of Georgetown University present... Read more
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Female politicians help to diffuse polarization, hostility and distrust, study shows
Nominating and electing more female politicians can help to diffuse polarization and reduce levels of hostility and distrust across party lines, a study shows.... Read more
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How large corporations make huge profits from hidden markups at the expense of consumers
Inflation, followed by poverty and social inequality are the most pressing issues worrying people around the world right now. Canada has not been immune from the rising cost of living and is still fighting an inflation rate above the two percent target preferred by the Bank of Canada.... Read more
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Hate crime legislation vague and inconsistent among 50 U.S. states
Hate crimes in the United States have increased in frequency in recent years. The rise of antisemitism, white supremacy and religious extremism has prompted the federal government and many states to pass several pieces of legislation targeted at crimes motivated by hate.... Read more
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New study finds racial and ethnic differences in perception and use of 'red flag' laws
New research from the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program finds racial and ethnic differences in how extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are perceived and used in California. The study, published in Preventive Medicine, found Black Californians perceived ERPOs as less appropriate and were less willing to ask a judge... Read more
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Study finds there is no silver bullet for strengthening regional propensity to start a business
Successful start-up ecosystems are characterized by good transport and telecommunications infrastructure, a high population density, a high proportion of foreign citizens, and numerous qualified employees. IfM Bonn researchers found this and published results in their study, "Start-up activity at the district level and in independent cities: What characterizes successful start-up... Read more
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Misdemeanor bail reforms in Harris County, Texas had a positive impact on public safety
The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School has released a new report finding that Harris County, Texas's targeted misdemeanor bail reforms are improving public safety and keeping low-level cases out of jail.... Read more
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Review of evaluations of Project Safe Neighborhoods programs identifies gaps in literature, generally favorable outcomes
In the 1990s, changes in violent crime rates, social and political unrest directed at law enforcement, and technological innovations set the stage for major changes in administering criminal justice. Several innovative approaches to policing were tested, seeking to take tougher, smarter, more focused approaches to gun violence, gang crime, open... Read more
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Digital nomads want to replace the nation state—is there a darker side to this quest for global freedom?
A 'network state' is ideologically aligned but geographically decentralized. The people are spread around the world in clusters of varying size, but their hearts are in one place.... Read more
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Risk of rejecting conspiracy theories could play key role in their propagation in Western society
A new study suggests that when deciding whether to believe in a conspiracy theory or not, the brain weighs up information from our own direct experience, what the media tells us, the expected cost or reward to us in believing the theory, and our prior views. The study is published... Read more
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Do masculine leadership titles undermine women's leadership?
Debates about using masculine or gender-neutral words to describe leadership positions, jobs and awards affect nearly all domains of society from business to politics and media. Recently, local politicians have considered changing titles such as "alderman" or "councilman" to their gender-neutral counterparts (e.g., "council member"). While some dismiss calls for... Read more
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Taxes out, subsidies in: Australia and the US are passing major climate bills, without taxing carbon
At last, there's action on climate change. The United States recently passed its largest climate bill ever. And Australia is set to usher a 43% emissions target into law this week, although the Greens will try to amend the bill so the climate impacts of new gas and coal projects... Read more
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Good loser messages support democracy
Citizens sometimes just have to live with political decisions they dislike or think are unfair. But if their preferred party leaders communicate that the decisions have been made properly, the feeling of unfairness can diminish according to research from the University of Gothenburg.... Read more
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'Radical decentralisation' needed in Iran to allow Kurdish communities to benefit from natural resources, study argues
A radical decentralisation of politics and decision-making in Iran is needed to allow Kurdish communities to benefit from natural resources, experts have argued.... Read more
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Conflictive home-host country relations have a strong, negative effect on policy risk
Policy risk negatively affects acquisition completion, but the strength of the effect is dependent on home-host country relations, according to new research published in Global Strategy Journal. The relationship between policy risk and cross-border acquisition completion is negative and strong under conflictive relations, weaker under cooperative relations, and weakest under... Read more
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EU guidelines for procurement during the COVID-19 crisis may lead to increased corruption
Shouldn't common provisions for procurement within the EU lead to increased central control and better coordination? Yes, but the guidelines introduced during the COVID-19 crisis were at the same time so flexible that they can also result in increased corruption and reduced legitimacy. This is shown by Brigitte Pircher, associate... Read more
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Survey: Israelis have a more positive view of Germany than Germans do of Israel
Among Germans, 46% have a good opinion of Israel and 34% have a poor opinion. In contrast, many Israelis have a decidedly positive image of Germany, with 63% saying their view of the country is favorable, and only 19% saying it is poor.... Read more
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How election monitors and foreign interference in election processes can affect the public's perception of elections
Lauren Prather's new book "Monitors and Meddlers: How Foreign Actors Influence Local Trust in Elections" has been a long time in the making—a full decade, in fact.... Read more
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Republican-donating CEOs more likely to lay off staff when pandemic hit, research says
Chief executives of major companies who donate mostly to the Republican Party were more likely to lay off staff to avoid a loss during the pandemic, new research shows.... Read more
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YouTube more likely to recommend election-fraud videos to users already skeptical about 2020 election's legitimacy
YouTube was more likely to recommend videos about election fraud to users who were already skeptical about the legitimacy of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, shows a new study examining the impact of the site's algorithms.... Read more
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How will the Inflation Reduction Act affect US environmental policy?
Don Fullerton is the Gutgsell Professor of Finance at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Fullerton, an expert in energy and environmental policy, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora... Read more
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Would helping only the least advantaged benefit society as a whole?
John Rawls, one of the 20th century's most notable political philosophers, proposed a theory of distributive justice known as "justice as fairness." According to his theory, once a society successfully guarantees equal basic rights and liberties for everybody, the next step should be to properly regulate any ensuing social and... Read more
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Humble leaders can help make teacher groups more effective
Leaders of teacher groups who were thought of as humble helped improve professionalism and collaboration among team members, new research has shown.... Read more
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To persuade political rivals, it helps to believe in the value of empathizing with them, study finds
Empathizing with your political opponents increases your chances of changing their minds.... Read more