The Conversation

What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past

Written by Simon Haeder, Assistant Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Larissa Pisney of Denver protests outside the Aurora, Colorado offices of Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) to show her displeasure with efforts to dismantle the ACA. David Zalubowski/AP

After much secrecy and no public deliberation, Senate Republicans finalized release their “draft” repeal and replace bill for the Affordable Care Act on...

People keep voting in support of the death penalty. So how can we end it?

Written by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Signatures were collected to put the death penalty on the 2016 Nebraska ballot.AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Ending the death penalty in the United States won’t be easy.

After death penalty abolitionists slowly pushed toward its elimination for years, supporters of state killing have mounted a fierce effort in the courts and at the ballot box and...

Energy wonks have a meltdown over the US going 100 percent renewable. Why?

Written by Joshua D. Rhodes, Postdoctoral Researcher of Energy, University of Texas at Austin

You may agree the U.S. should move to renewables, but how quickly can we do it and how? Duke Energy/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Science is messy, but it doesn’t have to be dirty.

On June 19, a group of respected energy researchers released a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that critiqued a widely cited study...

African-American Music Appreciation Month: 5 essential reads

Written by Nick Lehr, Editor, Arts and Culture, The Conversation

Michael Jackson sings during the opening performance of a 13-city U.S. tour in 1988.AP Photo/Cliff Schiappa

To commemorate African-American Music Appreciation Month this June, California Senator Kamala Harris released a Spotify playlist with songs spanning genres and generations, from TLC’s “Waterfalls” to Marvin Gaye’s...

What happens if Trump's White House invokes executive privilege?

Written by Chris Edelson, Assistant Professor of Government, American University

Donald Trump’s presidency has been defined by a central theme: Trump’s belief that ordinary rules and laws do not apply to him.

Trump has made clear that he believes it is up to his personal discretion to order torture – even though torture is illegal under all circumstances. In ordering a military strike against Syria in April,...

Employment helps white men’s health more than women and blacks

Written by Shervin Assari, Research Investigator of Psychiatry and Public Health, University of Michigan

White men gain more health benefits from employment than do black men and women. Angela Waye/from www.shutterstock.com

Employment can be a big boost to health, conferring up to 10 extra years of life, but not if you are black or female. In fact, in the United States, employment gives most of its health advantage to white men, particularly those who...

How to make sense of the Senate health care bill: 4 essential reads

Written by Lynne Anderson, Senior Editor, Health & Medicine, The Conversation

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) smiles after he unveiled the Senate health care bill on June 22, 2017. Scott Applewhite/AP

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to the health care bill presented by Senate Republicans June 22, 2017.

When President Trump ran on a promise to “repeal and...

Forget the insight of a lone genius – innovation is an evolving process of trial and error

Written by Edward Wasserman, Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Iowa

Out of all these ideas, will one rise to the top?KlingSup/Shutterstock.com

Scientific discovery is popularly believed to result from the sheer genius of intellectual stars such as Darwin and Einstein. Their work is often thought to reflect their unique contributions with little or no regard to their own prior experience or to the efforts of their...

From gay Nazis to 'we're here, we're queer': A century of arguing about gay pride

Written by Laurie Marhoefer, Assistant Professor of History, University of Washington

This month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join gay pride marches in cities big and small. In many cities, pride marches are controversial. In some – like Moscow – they are even banned. But for many people in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, attending the local pride march has become...

Are LGBT Americans actually reaping the benefits of marriage?

Written by Jayn Goldsen, Research Study Supervisor, University of Washington

For decades, researchers have studied the benefits of marriage, finding that married people are likely to be healthier, wealthier and wiser than their unmarried peers.

But these studies reflected those who were allowed to marry.

Only recently – when states started passing laws guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to marry – could...