The Conversation

The GOP doesn't care if you like their tax plan. Here's why

Written by David C. Barker, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University School of International Service

Protesters shout their disapproval of the Republican tax bill on Nov. 28, 2017. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Congressional Republicans’ collective sigh of relief after passing tax legislation may seem confusing. Won’t voters hold them accountable in 2018 for passing such an historically unpopular bill? The answer is “no,”...

The GOP doesn't care if you like its tax plan. Here's why

Written by David C. Barker, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University

Protesters shout their disapproval of the Republican tax bill on Nov. 28, 2017. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Tax bill's attack on higher education undermines America's economic vitality

Written by Benjamin J. Cohen, Professor of International Political Economy, University of California, Santa Barbara

With the Senate’s passage of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” President Donald Trump seems close to notching his first legislative victory – a huge tax cut for the 1 percent. All that remains is the need to reconcile the Senate bill with the version passed earlier by the House of Representatives.

The bill is a travesty. Never...

Is the British monarchy actually adapting to changing social norms?

Written by Ben Carrington, Associate Professor of Sociology and Journalism, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Is the royal marriage story we’re being sold really a fairy tale come true? Or is it a story spun by Buckingham Palace for its own self-interest, one shrouded in myth and make-believe?

In the coverage of next summer’s marriage between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, two main narratives have emerged.

One is Markle’s mixed-race,...

Teaching machines to teach themselves

Written by Arend Hintze, Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology & Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University

How can computers learn to teach themselves new skills?baza178/Shutterstock.com

Are you tired of telling machines what to do and what not to do? It’s a large part of regular people’s days – operating dishwashers, smartphones and cars. It’s an even bigger part of life for researchers like me, working on artificial...

Could the ERA pass in the #Metoo era?

Written by Leigh Ann Wheeler, Professor of History, Binghamton University, State University of New York

'Fearless Girl' dons a pink hat on March 8, 2017, on Wall Street in New York. An inscription at the base reads, 'Know the power of women in leadership. She makes a difference.'AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Eighty percent of people polled in 2016 think that the United States Constitution already has an amendment protecting equal rights for women. When they...

Why society should talk about forced sex in intimate relationships, too

Written by Shervin Assari, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health, University of Michigan

Golf Bress/Shutterstock.com

In the wake of the deluge of news about sexual harassment and alleged assaults by several high-profile and powerful men, it is important to look at the causes and consequences of forced sex in the workplace – but also in intimate relationships.

Although forced sex by a boss and by an intimate partner considerably...

Stop criticizing bizarrely shaped voting districts. They might not be gerrymandered after all

Written by Dustin G. Mixon, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University

Illinois's Fourth Congressional District is often called out for its 'earmuff' shape, but there's an ideal behind its strange appearance.SBTL1/flickr

How can you tell if a voting district has been gerrymandered?

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census informs lawmakers on how to redistribute 435 U.S. congressional seats among the 50 states. Each state must...

Who are the Baha'is and why are they so persecuted?

Written by Zackery M. Heern, Assistant Professor of History and Middle East Studies, Idaho State University

Entrance to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, burial place of the founder of the Bahá’í faith, near Acre, Israel.Bahá’í World News Service © Bahá'í International Community

The Baha'is are among the most persecuted religious minorities in the world.

In Iran, where the...

Charles Manson and the perversion of the American dream

Written by William McKeen, Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Boston University

Charles Manson leaves a Los Angeles courtroom in March 1970.George Brich/AP Photo

When Charles Manson died in November 2017, his name carried weight even among those who weren’t alive when he committed his crimes.

For decades, Manson was the symbol of evil, a real-life boogeyman who loomed as the American conception of wickedness incarnate....