The Conversation

Taxes and caps on carbon work differently but calibrating them poses the same challenge

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

There are different kinds of policies that can curb greenhouse gases. Climber 1959/Shutterstock.com

Virtually everything most people on earth do these days involves, either directly or indirectly, the combustion of oil, gas and coal. Burning these fossil fuels is generating carbon emissions, which accumulate in the atmosphere, contributing to global...

Arms sales to Saudi Arabia give Trump all the leverage he needs in Khashoggi affair

Written by Terrence Guay, Clinical Professor of International Business, Pennsylvania State University

American-made F-15 warplanes fly over Riyadh.AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Among Donald Trump’s many unusual characteristics as president is his frankness.

Last week, after the disappearance and apparent torture and murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump argued that “we would be punishing ourselves” by canceling arms...

Generation Z voters could make waves in 2018 midterm elections

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

Unlike the much-studied millennials, we don’t know much about Generation Z, who now make up most of the 18- to 24-year-old voting bloc.

These young people started first grade after 9/11, were born with the internet, grew up with smartphones and social media and practiced active-shooter drills in their classrooms.

In 2018, they have taken an...

Government-funded buyouts after disasters are slow and inequitable – here's how that could change

Written by A.R. Siders, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University

Devastation from Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida, Oct. 12, 2018. Residents whose homes have suffered major damage in multiple storms could eventually be offered buyouts, but the process can take several years. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Destructive storms like Hurricanes Florence and Michael prompt difficult conversations about whether to...

Trump sees opportunity in Venezuela's humanitarian crisis as midterms approach

Written by Marco Aponte-Moreno, Assistant Professor of Global Business, St Mary's College of California

President Donald Trump has spoken forcefully about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, calling it a “human tragedy” at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis – which began in late 2014, when a drop in oil prices deprived the government of its primary income source – has...

Blockchains won't fix internet voting security – and could make it worse

Written by Ari Juels, Professor of Computer Science, Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, Cornell Tech, and Co-Director, Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts (IC3), Cornell University

An e-ballot is less secure than one on paper.SvetaZi/Shutterstock.com

Looking to modernize voting practices, speed waiting times at the polls, increase voter turnout and generally make voting more convenient, many government officials – and some companies hawking voting systems – are looking to an emerging technology called a...

What Thomas Jefferson, Donald Trump and the American people think about freedom of the press

Written by Jill Darling, Survey Director, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

“No government ought to be without censors and where the press is free no one ever will,” wrote Thomas Jefferson to George Washington.

It is a powerful description of press freedom and the crucial role of the press in a democracy.

Here Jefferson sees the press as “censors” in the ancient Roman sense: They guard against the...

Would a Space Force mean the end of NASA?

Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Associate Professor of Political Science, Cameron University

Crowds watch as the space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. AP Photo/Phil Sandlin

Space, that final frontier, is something that catches the attention of a country naturally inclined to believe in ideas like “Manifest Destiny” and American exceptionalism. But how well does a Space Force fit...

Why health apps are like the Wild West, with Apple just riding into town

Written by Michael L. Millenson, Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Jeff Williams, chief operating officer of Apple, talks about the Apple Watch 4 and its ability to detect irregularities in heartbeat on Sept. 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California.Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

The heart rate monitor built into the new Apple Watch has sparked sharp debate over its risks and benefits, even though the feature was cleared by...

How Turkey and Saudi Arabia became frenemies – and why the Khashoggi case could change that

Written by Nader Habibi, Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in Economics of the Middle East, Brandeis University

Things between Saudi Crown Prince Salman and Turkish President Erdogan have become rather tense.AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici

The Oct. 2 disappearance of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul has put a spotlight on the deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Articles based on ano...