The Conversation

Why giving cash, not clothing, is usually best after disasters

Written by Julia Brooks, Researcher in international law and humanitarian response, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), Harvard University

Unless you live near a disaster area, sending money may do more good than a mountain of toilet paper.AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government entities, nonprofits large and small, and contributions from concerned individuals, a massive Hurricane Harvey relief effort is taking shape.

Boston Mayor...

Finger size does matter... in sports

Written by Grant Tomkinson, Professor, University of North Dakota

While this football player's arms may look like they give him an onfield advantage, his fingers may actually be more predictive of his athletic ability.Ostill/Shutterstock.com

Examine your fingers. Which is longer? Is it the index finger (the finger you use to point with – technically the second digit, or 2D, counting the thumb), or the ring...

How Muslim Americans are fighting Islamophobia and securing their civil rights

Written by Emily Cury, Research Fellow in International Affairs and Middle East Studies, Northeastern University

Rally against President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations.AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

The past year has been a difficult one for American Muslims.

According to a July 2017 Pew survey, 48 percent of Muslims report experiencing at least one incident of discrimination in the past 12 months. The Council on...

Don't blame food stamps for obesity in America

Written by Tasia Smith, Evergreen Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon

Despite the stereotypes, most obese Americans aren't poor.U.S. Department of Agriculture, CC BY-SA

Politicians and scholars sometimes cast obesity as a problem that largely afflicts the poor. But as most obese adults aren’t poor and most low-income adults aren’t obese, this is a misconception.

As a researcher who looks into these...

What victims of Hurricane Harvey can learn from Katrina as rebuilding begins

Written by Justin Gallagher, Assistant Professor of Economics, Case Western Reserve University

Floodwaters in parts of Houston are beginning to recede after nearly a week of rain from Hurricane Harvey. The emphasis for many flood victims will now shift from survival to recovery.

While many economists are trying to determine the disaster’s overall toll – certain to be significant – a topic less explored is the financial...

What Hurricane Harvey says about risk, climate and resilience

Written by Andrew Dessler, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University

Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station on August 28.NASA, CC BY

Hurricane Harvey has taught us many lessons, but the most valuable may be the oldest lesson of all, one we humans have been learning – and forgetting – since the dawn of time: how much we all have to lose when climate and weather disasters strike.

The risks we...

What the Industrial Revolution really tells us about the future of automation and work

Written by Moshe Y. Vardi, Professor of Computer Science, Rice University

Where are all the people in this factory?AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

As automation and artificial intelligence technologies improve, many people worry about the future of work. If millions of human workers no longer have jobs, the worriers ask, what will people do, how will they provide for themselves and their families, and what changes might occur (or be...

Want a job? It's still about education.

Written by Shaun M. Dougherty, Assistant Professor of Education & Public Policy, University of Connecticut

Specialized training is becoming more and more important to financial success in today's labor market.U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michael Ellis

During the 20th century, there was nothing that could help you achieve labor market success more than a good education. Even today, education is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone is...

Why Hurricane Harvey donors shouldn't boycott the Red Cross

Written by Brian Mittendorf, Fisher College of Business Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Accounting & Management Information Systems (MIS), The Ohio State University

As with all natural disasters, the public and the business world have reacted with an outpouring of aid for people suffering from Hurricane Harvey’s extensive damage.

The usual appeals for Americans and U.S. companies to open their wallets, however, have been accompanied by increasingly loud calls from some corners urging donors to avoid the...

Explaining the Muslim pilgrimage of hajj

Written by Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Candidate, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

Muslims start the hajj by circling the Kaaba, the black, cube-shaped house of God.UmmSqueaky, CC BY-NC

Around 1.7 million Muslims have gathered this year in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage – the hajj. The five-day pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims who have the physical and...