The Conversation

Europe's refugee crisis explains why border walls don't stop migration

Written by Eleanor Paynter, PhD Candidate, Comparative Studies, The Ohio State University

Migrants on a ship intercepted offshore near the Libyan town of Gohneima, east of the capital Tripoli, in July 2018.Libyan Coast Guard via AP, File

President Trump has long called migration a security crisis, but in recent weeks he has also referred to the situation along the southern border as a humanitarian crisis.

As he ended the government...

School suspensions don't stop violence – they help students celebrate it

Written by Charles Bell, Assistant Professor, Illinois State University

The code of the street – where respect is won by fighting – often follows children into school.Pixel-Shot/www.shutterstock.com

When school officials suspend students, the idea is to maintain a safe environment and deter violence and other problematic behavior on the school campus.

But when I interviewed 30 children in southeast Michigan...

How Facebook went from friend to frenemy

Written by Elizabeth Stoycheff, Assistant Professor of Communication, Wayne State University

How do you feel about Facebook?AlesiaKan/Shutterstock.com

As Facebook celebrates 15 years of virtual friendship, social science has compiled an expansive body of research that documents the public’s love-hate relationship with its best frenemy.

What many once viewed as a confidant has devolved into a messy codependence, mired by ambiguity and...

How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, helped him break baseball's color line

Written by Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI

An the field and off, Rachel Robinson was a pillar of emotional support.AP Photo/Harry Harris

Jackie Robinson will be remembered for his courage, athleticism, tenacity and sacrifice on Jan. 31, the centennial of his birth. By confronting Jim Crow – both as a baseball player and as a civil rights activist – he changed America.

“Back...

Teaching hope during the 2020 campaign season

Written by Sarah Stitzlein, Professor of Education and Affiliate Faculty in Philosophy, University of Cincinnati

Educators can use story-telling to make students more politically aware.Rido/Shutterstock.com

The 2020 presidential election campaign has already started.

Election campaigns inspire hope, but they can also quickly lead to political despair. During the last two elections, America’s polarized citizens experienced significant swings between hope...

What would happen if hospitals openly shared their prices?

Written by Zach Y. Brown, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Michigan

Many patients are surprised to learn what their health care procedures cost. 9dream studio/shutterstock.com

Imagine there was a store where there were no prices on items, and you never knew what you’d pay until you’d picked out your purchases and were leaving the shop. You might be skeptical that the store would have any incentive to...

What 4 economists say about the state of the union

Written by David Bishai, Professor of Health Economics, Johns Hopkins University

A hallowed chamber for an important address. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The State of the Union is back on after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she invited President Donald Trump to address Congress and the nation on Feb. 5.

Earlier, she had disinvited the president from giving the speech in the House on the scheduled date of Jan. 29.

While...

Dam collapse at Brazilian mine exposes grave safety problems

Written by Julian D. Olden, Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington

After 48 hours of frantic effort, Brazilian rescue workers have called off their search for survivors at a collapsed dam in Minas Gerais state.AP Photo/Leo Correa

Brazilian rescue workers continue searching for more than 300 people missing after a dam burst at an iron ore mine over the weekend.

The dam, which ruptured on Jan. 25 close to the...

Why women still earn a lot less than men

Written by Michele Gilman, Venable Professor of Law, University of Baltimore

Women earn less than men in most occupations, including soccer. AP Photo/Jessica Hill

A decade ago, on Jan. 29, 2009, newly inaugurated President Barack Obama signed his first bill into law: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

It was the latest legislative effort to close the persistently stubborn gap between how much women and men earn. At...

3 ways that big data reveals what you really like to watch, read and listen to

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Generating new entertainment data.MinDof/shutterstock.com

Anyone who’s watched “Bridget Jones’s Diary” knows one of her New Year’s resolutions is “Not go out every night but stay in and read books and listen to classical music.”

The reality, however, is substantially different. What people actually do in...