The Conversation

Blasphemy law is repealed in Ireland, enforced in Pakistan – and a problem in many Christian and Muslim countries

Written by Steve Pinkerton, Lecturer in English, Case Western Reserve University

Pakistani religious groups protest against a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy, in Islamabad, Pakistan.AP Photo/B.K. Bangash

The citizens of Ireland voted recently, in a nationwide referendum, to remove a clause from their constitution that had made blasphemy a criminal offense.

Ireland’s...

What is public service loan forgiveness? And how do I qualify to get it?

Written by Robert Kelchen, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Seton Hall University

Public Service Loan Forgiveness can be difficult to get if you don't know the rules.Rawpixel.com/www.shutterstock.com

The first group of borrowers who tried to get Public Service Loan Forgiveness – a George W. Bush-era program meant to provide relief to those who went into socially valuable but poorly paid public service jobs, such as...

How a self-powered glucose-monitoring device could help people with diabetes

Written by Gymama Slaughter, Executive Director, Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University

People with diabetes must monitor their glucose levels throughout the day, but doing so is a challenge. sirtavelalot/Shutterstock.com

Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., with about 30.3 million adults having the disease. One in 4 adults does not even know he or she has diabetes.

In addition, 84.1 million adults have...

How the ‘wave of women’ entering congress could turn the #MeToo movement into concrete action

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

The 2018 midterm elections represented the first electoral referendum of the #MeToo era.

More than 500 women ran in primaries for federal office, a pipeline that ultimately led to a record number of women set to take office.

Even so, it also reveals how far women are from achieving parity in politics – they are projected to hold barely more...

The other 2018 midterm wave: A historic 10-point jump in turnout among young people

Written by Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Director, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University

Nine months after Parkland, students like David Hogg have joined the youth voter wave.AP Photo/John Raoux

Voter turnout among 18 to 29-year-olds in the 2018 midterm elections was 31 percent, according to a preliminary estimate by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

That’s the highest...

#MeToo could become a national reckoning – if the new House treats it like a financial crisis

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

The 2018 midterm elections represented the first electoral referendum of the #MeToo era.

More than 500 women ran in primaries for federal office, a pipeline that ultimately led to a record number of women set to take office.

Even so, it also reveals how far women are from achieving parity in politics – they are projected to hold barely more...

Driving autonomous cars off the beaten path

Written by Matthew Doude, Associate Director, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems; Ph.D. Student in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mississippi State University

A self-driving car heads into the woods.Matthew Doude, CC BY-ND

Autonomous vehicles can follow the general rules of American roads, recognizing traffic signals and lane markings, noticing crosswalks and other regular features of the streets. But they work only on well-marked roads that are carefully scanned and mapped in advance.

Many paved roads,...

The votes have been counted, the results are (mostly) in: What’s next for health care?

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

Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, was re-elected in West Virginia, where voters cited health care as a major concern.Tyler Evert/AP Photo

Ever since the legislative battle over the passage of the Affordable Care Act, health care has dominated the political landscape in the United States. First, the bruising fight to enact the Affordable Care Act. It...

Left behind: The midterm view from Iowa

Written by Paul Lasley, Professor of sociology, Iowa State University

Now that the midterm election is over, many of my fellow Iowans are looking forward to resuming normal daily activities, finishing up the fall harvest, raking their lawns without the nuisance of political yard signs and watching television without the constant barrage of negative campaign ads.

I’ve spent my career studying trends in rural cul...

The US government has huge debts, and House Democrats could lead the way on solutions – an economist explains how

Written by Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Professor of Economics, Boston University

Democrat Nancy Pelosi spoke in D.C. the night of the midterm elections.Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Now that Democrats control the House, the question on many minds is what they will do with it.

Incoming Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will focus on corruption, money in politics, drug prices, gun control and protecting young immigrants. These...