The Conversation

Independent voters think for themselves and stay out of politics – 3 essential reads

Written by Jeff Inglis, Politics + Society Editor, The Conversation US

Jessie Harris, left, a registered independent voter in South Carolina, casts a ballot in February 2024.Joe Lamberti for The Washington Post via Getty Images

In the 2024 election, the two major-party campaigns and many news reporters are spending a lot of time talking about independent voters – those who are neither aligned with the Republican...

Tariffs are back in the spotlight, but skepticism of free trade has deep roots in American history

Written by Erik Guzik, Assistant Clinical Professor of Management, University of Montana

Noted economic nationalist Alexander Hamilton.Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

One of the more surprising developments in recent American politics has been the backlash against free trade.

As recently as a decade ago, Democrats and Republicans alike generally favored free trade. But with the 2024 presidential election just days away, both Republican Donald...

New Orleans schools still separate and unequal 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education

Written by Connie L. Schaffer, Professor of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska Omaha

First graders led the desegregation of New Orleans' public schools in November 1960.Bettmann via Getty

Sixty-four years ago this November, public schools in New Orleans began to desegregate. School buildings once designated as “white” opened their doors to Black students. The integration process, which deeply divided the city, was led...

In Hawaii, parasites and viruses team up in the battle against fruit flies – an entomologist explains the implication for global pest control

Written by Kelsey Coffman, Assistant Professor of Entomology & Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee

Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, a parasitoid wasp that helps control pests.Sheina Sim, CC BY

Take a stroll along one of the beaches on Hawaii Island in late summer, and you’ll likely stumble upon almond-shaped fruits lying in the sand. Known as false kamani nuts, or tropical almonds, they fall from tall, shady Terminalia catappa trees that line...

Rust Belt voters aren’t all white, but election coverage of the region often ignores the concerns of people of color there

Written by Christabel Devadoss, Assistant Professor in Global Studies and Human Geography, Middle Tennessee State University

Wisconsin voters lining up to cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm election, Oct. 25, 2022, in Milwaukee.Scott Olson/Getty Images

Every four years, national media turn their attention to the Rust Belt, a term that describes Midwestern industrial and manufacturing states whose economies were decimated by the decline of those industries in the...

The next president will play a key role in shaping US trade policy – here’s what voters need to know

Written by Bedassa Tadesse, Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

From the ports of Los Angeles to the cornfields of Iowa, the U.S.’s international trade policy is a force that shapes the lives of every American. With the presidential election looming in November 2024, discussing trade policy isn’t just an academic exercise – it’s a civic responsibility.

As an economist, I have spent years...

Americans own guns to protect themselves from psychological as well as physical threats

Written by Nick Buttrick, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Many gun owners cite protection as a reason to carry a firearm. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Tim Walz and JD Vance all have something in common. All four of them, along with an estimated 42% of American adults, have lived in a home with at least one gun.

Gun ownership in the United States...

Fear, hope and the economy: what is motivating Americans as they decide who to vote for – podcast

Written by Gemma Ware, Head of Audio, The Conversation UK

Amid deep political polarization and extreme campaign rhetoric, the U.S. presidential election on November 5 is likely to be decided by a small number of voters in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan. But why is it so close?

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Naomi Schalit, senior politics editor at the The Conversation...

Slow vote-counting, flip-flopping leads, careful certification and the weirdness of the Electoral College – people who research elections look at what to expect on election night

Written by Jeff Inglis, Politics + Society Editor, The Conversation US

What should you make of the flood of information about the election?Dilok Klaisataporn/iStock / Getty Images Plus

As Election Day arrives, people’s feelings of eagerness and anxiety can intensify. It’s normal to want to know the results, but it’s also important to make sure that when the results are announced, they’re...

‘Each bears his own ghosts’: How the classics speak to these days of fear, anger and presidential candidates stalking the land

Written by Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University - Newark

“Fear stalks the land, including the Upper West Side,” I wrote to a friend the other day. A week before the election, everyone seems to be afraid.

Not that we’re afraid of the same things. Newspaper owners and corporate leaders fear Donald Trump’s retribution if they endorse Kamala Harris. Election workers fear the mob....