The Conversation

Peru's democracy faces greatest trial since Fujimori dictatorship after two presidents are ousted in one week

Written by Gisselle Vila Benites, Adjunct Researcher at the Center for Mining and Sustainability Studies at the Universidad del Pacífico (Peru) and PhD Candidate in Geography, University of Melbourne

Riot police face off against protesters in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2020.Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Images

Peru’s new interim president took office on Nov. 17 under unenviable circumstances.

Francisco Sagasti became the South American country’s third president in a week after President Martin Vizcarra was impeached for “moral...

Rapid COVID-19 tests can be useful – but there are far too few to put a dent in the pandemic

Written by Bonnie LaFleur, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Arizona

Rapid tests for COVID-19 are easy to administer and give fast results. AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File

Since September, the Food and Drug Administration has approved seven COVID-19 tests that yield results in 30 minutes or less, offering hope for vast improvements in test access and efficiency throughout the U.S. Most of these are antigen tests that...

Reckoning with slavery: What a revolt's archives tell us about who owns the past

Written by Marjoleine Kars, Associate Professor of History, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Statue of the Berbice slave revolt leader Kofi in Georgetown, Guyana.David Stanley - Flickr/WikiMedia, CC BY-SA

The consequences of 400 years of the Atlantic slave trade are still felt today. Untangling the power structures and systemic racism that came with slavery is ongoing, with police brutality, memorials to slave owners and reparations forming...

James Baker's masterful legal strategies won George W. Bush a contested election – unlike Rudy Giuliani's string of losses

Written by Richard Pildes, Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University

Former President George W. Bush, left, with James A. Baker III at the 2018 funeral of George H.W. Bush.AP Pool

With Rudy Giuliani flailing through a series of failed election challenges for the Trump campaign, a superb new political biography provides fresh evidence of just how stark the contrast is between the head of Trump’s legal team and...

NCAA amateurism appears immune to COVID-19 – despite tide in public support for paying athletes having turned

Written by Chris Knoester, Associate Professor of Sociology, The Ohio State University

The pandemic has laid bare just how few economic rights college athletes possess.AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, college sports have mostly chugged along – albeit with cancellations, postponements and pauses in play.

While many college athletes are grateful for the opportunity to compete, the pandemic has laid bare...

Fences have big effects on land and wildlife around the world that are rarely measured

Written by Alex McInturff, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Santa Barbara

Australia's dingo fences, built to protect livestock from wild dogs, stretch for thousands of kilometers.Marian Deschain/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

What is the most common form of human infrastructure in the world? It may well be the fence. Recent estimates suggest that the total length of all fencing around the globe is 10 times greater than the total...

Nonprofits are struggling to do more with less money, but donors and volunteers can help: 5 questions answered

Written by Erica Mills Barnhart, Associate Teaching Professor & Director of the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, University of Washington

A volunteer hands out food boxes in Los Angeles before Thanksgiving.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Historically, nonprofits have gotten nearly a third of their charitable donations just during the month of December. In recent years, this flurry of giving has begun on #GivingTuesday, an online campaign that takes place on the first Tuesday after...

Why waiters give Black customers poor service

Written by Zachary Brewster, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wayne State University

Some people argue the poor service is because of a stereotype that Black people tip less. PavelVinnik/iStock via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

When Black diners get poorer service from wait staff and bartenders than white customers, it’s more likely because of racial bias than the...

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was a record-breaker, and it's raising more concerns about climate change

Written by James H. Ruppert Jr., Assistant Research Professor, Penn State

Hurricanes Sally and Paulette, Tropical Depression Rene, and Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky were all active on Sept. 14, 2020.NOAA

It was clear before the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season started that it was going to be busy. Six months later, we’re looking back at a trail of broken records, and the storms may still not be over even though the...

How Taiwan uses Buddhist literature for environmental education

Written by Natasha Heller, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Virginia

Buddhist literature is used for teaching children about environmental issues in Taiwan.Photo credit should read SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that the world faces. A United Nations report has cautioned that greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity are at a record high, “with no signs of...