The Conversation

How Hong Kong's protests are affecting its economy

Written by Allen Morrison, Professor of Global Management, Arizona State University

The Hong Kong protests have drawn massive and diverse crowds.AP Photo/Kin Cheung

After nearly three months of unrest, the demonstrations in Hong Kong show no signs of slowing down.

What began as opposition to a controversial extradition bill has morphed into a broader movement to defend Hong Kong’s wider social and political freedoms....

White nationalists' extreme solution to the coming environmental apocalypse

Written by Alexandra Minna Stern, Professor of American Culture, History, and Women's Studies, University of Michigan

White nationalists around the world are appropriating the language of environmentalism.

The white nationalist who allegedly massacred 22 people in El Paso in early August posted a four-page screed on the chatroom 8chan. In it, the shooter blames his attack on the “Hispanic invasion of Texas” and the impending “cultural and ethnic...

Increasing numbers of Americans support gun background checks

Written by Kent E. Portney, Professor and Director, Texas A&M University

Some states have universal background checks for gun purchases.Lutsenko_Oleksandr/Shutterstock.com

In the aftermath of the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, public debate once again turned to what Congress should do to reduce gun violence.

One of the challenges that many policymakers face is understanding the views of the general...

Politicians don't seem to laugh at themselves as much anymore

Written by Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College

Ronald Reagan at the end of his debate with Walter Mondale, Oct. 22, 1984, Kansas City, Mo. AP/Ron Edmonds

As the 2020 presidential campaign gets underway, one of the key factors that shapes our perceptions is how the candidates use – or do not use – humor.

One kind of humor that is in shorter supply among politicians than it once was...

How to invest if you're worried a recession is coming

Written by Alexander Kurov, Professor of Finance and Fred T. Tattersall Research Chair in Finance, West Virginia University

Even the pros don't know what's up. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Although the U.S. economy continues to grow and add jobs, talk of a recession is increasingly in the air due to a number of worrying signs.

Business investment and consumer confidence are taking a hit due to the growing economic jitters and uncertainty over the ongoing trade war with China....

Climate scientists may not be the best communicators of climate threats

Written by Risa Palm, Professor of Urban Studies and Public Health, Georgia State University

Climate scientist James Hansen, who has spoken out about the dangers of climate change, was arrested in 2010 alongside Appalachian residents.Rich Clement/flickr

The American public ranks scientists as some of the most trusted voices in the country. So it made sense for eminent climate scientists, such as James Hansen, Michael Mann, and Peter...

Mexican women are angry about rape, murder and government neglect – and they want the world to know

Written by Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong

Wearing green bandannas and dousing police in pink glitter, Mexican women on Aug. 16 staged a furious protest in Mexico City after a 17-year-old girl reported being raped by four police officers earlier in the month.

Officials have sent mixed signals about ongoing investigations of the case, and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum triggered fury...

What is Haitian Voodoo?

Written by Guilberly Louissaint, Anthropology Ph.D. Student, University of California, Irvine

Voodoo believers walk during the annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede at Cite Soleil Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery

For many in the West, Voodoo invokes images of animal sacrifices, magical dolls and chanted spells.

But Voodoo – as practiced in Haiti and by the black diaspora in the United States, South America and...

When does trash talking work?

Written by Karen C.P. McDermott, Researcher in Communication, University of Connecticut

Boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor engage in some verbal sparring prior to their 2017 bout.AP Photo/John Locher

The Abstract features interesting research and the people behind it.

Karen C.P. McDermott recently completed a study on trash talk, the taunts or boasts meant to intimidate or distract an opponent.

Her study was one of the...

College rankings might as well be student rankings

Written by Jonathan Wai, Assistant Professor of Education Policy and Psychology and Endowed Chair, University of Arkansas

College rankings often take student caliber into account, an analysis shows.vectorfusionart/Shutterstock.com

Each year various magazines and newspapers publish college rankings in an attempt to inform parents and prospective students which colleges are supposedly the best.

U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” –...