The Conversation

Culling sharks won't protect surfers

Written by George Burgess, Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

In sharks' territory.Warm Winds Surf Shop/Flickr, CC BY

The warm and productive waters of La Réunion, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, are home to many types of tropical sea life, including apex predators such as sharks. Eight fatal shark attacks on humans have occurred there since 2011. After a body boarder was killed by a...

How the NEA's measly millions keep America's museums alive

Written by Robert Ekelund, Eminent Scholar and Professor of Economics Emeritus, Auburn University

Some politicians have never made a secret of their desire to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as its companion agency the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Each of these agencies have traditionally been regarded as bastions of “liberalism,” making them...

America has not always been as welcoming to refugees as we think

Written by Allen Wells, Professor of History, Director of Latin American Studies Program, Bowdoin College

World War II poster. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

President Trump’s executive order to sharply restrict immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries has been decried by many as reckless, punitive and even unconstitutional. Nearly half the electorate, however, applaud the president for suspending immigration even...

Do you know what the Affordable Care Act does? Here's a primer to help

Written by Darius Lakdawalla, Quintiles Professor of Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation, University of Southern California

A screen shot of open enrollment for 2017 Obamacare plans. Open enrollment is now closed, and opponents hope it will be closed forever. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” has generated controversy from its inception. Republicans vow to repeal it. Democrats vow to defend it. Yet, unfortunately,...

Can the black press stay relevant?

Written by Bill Celis, Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

A 1941 photograph depicts the Chicago Defender's linotype operators.Wikimedia Commons

Mattie Smith Colin was a seasoned reporter for the Chicago Defender when the newspaper sent her to cover the return of Emmett Till’s body. The 14-year-old Chicago native, who was visiting relatives in the Mississippi Delta, had been brutally beaten and shot...

The Democratic Party is facing a demographic crisis

Written by Musa al-Gharbi, Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow in Sociology, Columbia University

Will voters of the future swing left or right?Cropped from joebeone/flickr, CC BY

In 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama outperformed his predecessors John Kerry and Al Gore with virtually every single demographic group, handily defeating his Republican rival John McCain.

This success spread to down-ballot races as well. Democrats...

Why farmers and ranchers think the EPA Clean Water Rule goes too far

Written by Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University

Prairie potholes in South Dakota are important breeding and feeding areas for many types of birds. Under the Clean Water Rule, farmers cannot fill them in or discharge pollutants into them without a permit.Laura Hubers, USFWS/Flickr, CC BY

President Trump issued an executive order Feb. 28 directing federal agencies to revise the Clean Water Rule, a...

Why mass deportations are costly and hurt the economy

Written by Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, UNSW

President Donald Trump has pledged to deport several million undocumented immigrants and recently set a plan in motion targeting those with criminal records (of any kind).

While the ethical issues with mass deportations have received lots of attention, the economics haven’t been explored as comprehensively. And the costs of mass deportations...

Why mass deportations are costly and hurt the economy

Written by Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, UNSW

President Donald Trump has pledged to deport several million undocumented immigrants and recently set a plan in motion targeting those with criminal records (of any kind).

While the ethical issues with mass deportations have received lots of attention, the economics haven’t been explored as comprehensively. And the costs of mass deportations...

Who are the Sufis and why does ISIS see them as threatening?

Written by Peter Gottschalk, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University

On Feb. 16, 2017, a bomb ripped through a crowd assembled at the tomb of a Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in southeastern Pakistan. Soon thereafter, the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In recent times, such attacks have targeted a variety of cherished sites and individuals in Pakistan. These have ranged from the...