The Conversation

Historic tax overhaul nears finish line: 5 essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Economics + Business Editor

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrates the passage of the tax bill. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of stories The Conversation has published on the GOP’s sweeping 2017 tax bill.

The Senate’s passage of the Republican tax plan on a party-line vote on Dec. 2 means the most...

The new tax bill will make Americans less healthy – and that's bad for the economy

Written by Diane Dewar, Associate Professor of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, University at Albany, State University of New York

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The new tax bill, passed by the Senate early Saturday, is not just about taxes. It has significant consequences for the American health care system – especially for the most vulnerable of our citizens.

If the proposed tax bill comes to fruition, it will reduce the affordability of health care for many Americans....

The latest threat to peace in Colombia: Congress

Written by Fabio Andres Diaz, Researcher on Conflict, Peace and Development, International Institute of Social Studies

The peace process in Colombia has reached a new landmark.

On Nov. 30, both houses of Congress approved a bill establishing an alternative criminal justice system to judge those accused of war crimes during the country’s 52-year conflict.

But, like every step in this arduous multi-year peace effort, this latest victory was hard won. For 10...

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...