The Conversation

The cultural division that explains global political shocks from Brexit to Le Pen

Written by Michele Gelfand, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar Teacher, University of Maryland

Marine Le PenAP Photo/Claude Paris)

On May 7, France will choose its next president.

In the first round of voting on April 23, voters rejected candidates from the country’s established parties, lifting former investment banker Emmanuel Macron and nationalist Marine Le Pen to the runoff. The vote capped a swift rise for Le Pen’s National...

Does ESPN have anywhere to go but down?

Written by Amanda Lotz, Fellow at the Peabody Media Center and Professor of Communication Studies and Screen Arts & Cultures, University of Michigan

ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.AP Photo/Jessica Hill

ESPN’s announcement of more layoffs marked yet another setback for the cable sports network – and it could signal the unraveling of the business model that’s underpinned sports broadcasting for decades.

In August 2015, the revelation that ESPN had lost subscribers led...

How Trump's tax proposal could weaken faith in the system's fairness

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

The Trump administration wants to change the way the government taxes so-called pass-through entities.

In a nutshell, the Trump proposal would dramatically lower the rates this category of filers pay. This would lead to very creative tax planning at best and outright evasion at worst, while prompting more companies to adopt this type of business...

Why we choose terrible passwords, and how to fix them

Written by Megan Squire, Professor of Computing Sciences, Elon University

How secure are you?Rawpixel.com via shutterstock.com

The first Thursday in May is World Password Day, but don’t buy a cake or send cards. Computer chip maker Intel created the event as an annual reminder that, for most of us, our password habits are nothing to celebrate. Instead, they – and computer professionals like me – hope we...

How crossing the US-Mexico border became a crime

Written by Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Associate Professor, History and African-American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

It was not always a crime to enter the United States without authorization.

In fact, for most of American history, immigrants could enter the United States without official permission and not fear criminal prosecution by the federal government.

That changed in 1929. On its surface, Congress’ new prohibitions on informal border crossings...

A digital archive of slave voyages details the largest forced migration in history

Written by Philip Misevich, Assistant Professor of History, St. John's University

A slave fortress in Cape Coast, Ghana.AP Photo/Clement N'Taye

Between 1500 and 1866, slave traders forced 12.5 million Africans aboard transatlantic slave vessels. Before 1820, four enslaved Africans crossed the Atlantic for every European, making Africa the demographic wellspring for the repopulation of the Americas after Columbus’ voyages....

Can blockchain technology help poor people around the world?

Written by Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro

No need for a bank: Just a smartphone and a blockchain. Houman Haddad/UN World Food Program

Big Wall Street companies are using a complicated technology called blockchain to further increase the already lightning-fast speed of international finance. But it’s not just the upper crust of high finance who can benefit from this new technology.

Most...

Too pretty to play? Stephen Curry and the light-skinned black athlete

Written by Ronald Hall, Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

During a recent interview, Golden State Warriors Draymond Green discussed why players around the league have long doubted or dismissed the talents of his superstar teammate, Stephen Curry. But it was Green’s last point, mentioned almost as an aside – “And of course, Steph is light-skinned so [players] want to make him out to be...

Two key takeaways from the pope's TED talk

Written by Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University, Villanova University

Pope Francis giving a TED talk.TED Conference, CC BY-NC

Pope Francis gave a talk at the TED international conference, which brings in influential speakers, in Vancouver on the evening of Tuesday, April 25.

The talk – a surprise for all in the audience – recapitulated the key themes of the Argentinian pope’s view of the human...

How parents can help autistic children make sense of their world

Written by Allyssa McCabe, Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

People with autism sometimes struggle to tell stories, but there are ways parents can help.Pressmaster / Shutterstock.com

Glenn, a high-functioning seventeen-year-old with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), comes home from school and tells his mother at dinner, “Allen was mean today.” His mother debates what to do. Should she ask for more...