The Conversation

Merkel's challenge: Governing Germany in an age of rising nationalism

Written by Elizabeth Heineman, Professor of History and Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies, University of Iowa

For observers concerned about a resurgence of the far right, the AfD’s showing in Germany’s election raised alarm.

The anti-European Union, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim Alternative für Deutschland will join the Parliament, or Bundestag, as the country’s third-largest party, with nearly 13 percent of the vote. Only Angela...

Why Pope Francis is reviving a long tradition of local variations in Catholic services

Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Pope Francis talks with bishops during the Liturgical Week at the Vatican in August 2017.AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis

Pope Francis has changed Catholic Canon law – and met with some intense reactions.

At stake here is the language used for the Mass and the question of who has the responsibility for translating the Catholic liturgy into regional...

Is free speech alive and well? 5 essential reads

Written by Emily Costello, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation

A crowd gathers before a speech by Ben Shapiro at University of California Berkeley.AP Photo/Josh Edelson

Editor’s Note: On Friday, Sept. 29, “Third Rail with OZY” will discuss freedom of speech in the United States.

These stories from The Conversation archive explore what speech is protected, what isn’t – and the gray...

Why the FCC's proposed internet rules may spell trouble ahead

Written by David Choffnes, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science, Northeastern University

How fast is that video really coming in?hvostik/Shutterstock.com

As the Federal Communications Commission takes up the issue of whether to reverse the Obama-era Open Internet Order, a key question consumers and policymakers alike are asking is: What difference do these rules make?

My research team has been studying one key element of the regulations...

Worries about spreading Earth microbes shouldn't slow search for life on Mars

Written by Alberto G. Fairén, Research Scientist at Centro de Astrobiología, Spain, and Visiting Scientist in Astronomy, Cornell University

The Viking landers in the 1970s were the last to look directly for life on Mars.NASA/JPL, CC BY

There may be no bigger question than whether we are alone in our solar system. As our spacecraft find new clues about the presence of liquid water now or in the past on Mars, the possibility of some kind of life there looks more likely. On Earth, water...

Tax 'reform' for the rich: Trump's plan abandons his working-class supporters

Written by Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University

Trump's tax plan will cost trillions. AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin

President Donald Trump heralded his new tax plan as relief for the middle class, revenue-neutral and a “middle-class miracle.”

Yet the proposal, announced on Sept. 27, does none of these things. Instead, it is a scam not fit to become law of the land because it will enrich the...

Trump's tax plan would weaken faith in fairness of US tax system

Written by Gil B. Manzon Jr., Associate Professor of Accounting, Boston College

Trump unveiled his tax cut in Indianapolis.AP Photo/Michael Conroy

President Donald Trump and GOP leaders just released a plan to significantly change the taxation of individuals and businesses in what would be the biggest overhaul of the tax code in decades.

Among its many elements is a proposal to change the way the government taxes so-called...

Should we worry that half of Americans trust their gut to tell them what's true?

Written by R. Kelly Garrett, Associate Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University

Gustavo Frazao

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’ll bet that’s true,” before you had all the facts? Most people probably have at some point.

Where people differ is in how often they do so. A 2016 survey that my colleague Brian Weeks and I conducted found that 50.3 percent of all Americans agreed with the statement...

Why higher ed needs to get rid of the gender gap for 'academic housekeeping'

Written by Cassandra Guarino, Professor of Education and Public Policy, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside

Academia requires a lot of work outside the lecture hall. Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock.com

With the academic year entering full swing, I find myself concerned about the quality of my female colleagues’ lives as they face a mountain of what is known as “service work” in addition to their teaching and research responsibilities.

As...

Shrinking and altering national monuments: Experts assess Interior Secretary Zinke's proposals

Written by Robert B. Keiter, Wallace Stegner Professor of Law, University Distinguished Professor, University of Utah

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has proposed shrinking Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and allowing more public access and road maintenance. Bob Wich/BLM, CC BY

Editor’s note: On April 26, 2017, President Trump ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review 27 national monuments that had been created or expanded since 1996 and...