The Conversation

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...

Coloradans reject restrictions on drilling distances from homes and schools

Written by Stephanie Malin, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University

Fracking was on the ballot in Colorado's midterm elections.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Coloradans rejected a ballot initiative that would have required new oil and gas projects to be set back at least 2,500 feet from occupied buildings. The measure – known as Proposition 112 and supported by environmentalists – would have marked a major...

Latinos can be an electoral force in 2020

Written by Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Chancellor's Professor of Education and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

Democrat Beto O'Rourke won 63 percent of Latino voters in Texas, exit polls show, and Latinos seem to have voted in record numbers. But it wasn't enough to win.AP Photo/Eric Gay

Latino turnout surged in the midterms, early signs show.

There are 27.3 million eligible Latino voters in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center – 12...

La gripe sobrevive más de una hora en el aire y en las superficies

Written by Seema Lakdawala, Assisstant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Limpiar las encimeras y los teclados puede eliminar el virus de la gripe, ya que puede sobrevivir en esos lugares con facilidad.AVAVA/Shutterstock.com

La influenza, o virus de la gripe, causa alrededor de 200.000 hospitalizaciones al año en Estados Unidos. La vacunación estacional es la mejor línea de defensa, pero en los...

Which country is best to live in? Our calculations say it's not Norway

Written by Warren Sanderson, Professor of Economics, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

It's not the U.S., either.Pixabay, CC BY

Every year, the United Nations releases the Human Development Index.

The HDI is like a country’s report card. In a single number, it tells policymakers and citizens how well a country is doing. This year, Norway was at the top of the class, while Niger finished last.

The index first appeared in 1990....