The Conversation

Venezuelan refugees inflame Brazil's already simmering migrant crisis

Written by Robert Muggah, Associate Lecturer, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)

Though refugee and migration crises have dominated headlines in recent years, most news stories exclude Brazil. That’s because of the world’s roughly 62.5 million forced migrants, according to the United Nations – just a small proportion are thought to be in Brazil.

New research suggests this omission needs correcting.

According...

New 'Holocaust law' highlights crisis in Polish identity

Written by Geneviève Zubrzycki, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, University of Michigan

On Jan. 26, the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Polish parliament voted in favor of a bill making it illegal to accuse Poland of complicity in Nazi crimes.

This caused immediate outrage around the world and nowhere more so than in a country that has been, until now, a close ally of Poland: Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin...

When do-good nonprofits are bad at dealing with #MeToo moments

Written by Paul Battaglio, Professor, Economic, Political & Policy Sciences, Co-Editor-in-chief, Public Administration Review, University of Texas at Dallas

Former Humane Society chief Wayne Pacelle, flanked by Senators Richard Blumenthal (left) and Chuck Schumer (right), resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Amy Sussman/AP Images for Humane Society of The United States

Scandals rocking the Humane Society and the Red Cross are the highest-profile examples so far of how the #MeToo movement is...

Stocks hate inflation – here's why

Written by Richard S. Warr, Professor of Finance, North Carolina State University

Inflation may be a bull market's greatest enemy. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Stock markets have been on a wild ride recently, plunging one day and then soaring the next. Since its peak in late January, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has declined more than 10 percent, signaling a market “correction” beyond just a temporary blip.

Pund...

Mark Twain's adventures in love: How a rough-edged aspiring author courted a beautiful heiress

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

The wife and daughters of Mark Twain.Albert Bigelow Paine

The year 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of one of the great courtships in American history, the wooing of an unenthusiastic 22-year-old Olivia Langdon by a completely smitten 32-year-old Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.

As I first learned while visiting Twain’s...

No, opposites do not attract

Written by Matthew D. Johnson, Chair & Professor of Psychology and Director of the Marriage and Family Studies Laboratory, Binghamton University, State University of New York

It's likeness that makes the heart grow fonder.Zediajaab, CC BY-SA

Everyone seems to agree that opposites attract. Young and old people, happy and distressed couples, single folks and married partners – all apparently buy the classic adage about love. Relationship experts have written books based on this assumption. It’s even been...

A look at Pyeongchang's heartwarming cuisine

Written by Soo Kang, Associate Professor of Hospitality Management, Colorado State University

As a middle schooler growing up in South Korea, I still vividly remember the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. At the time, the country was a burgeoning democracy, and South Koreans were proud of hosting an international mega event.

I’ve since become a hospitality professor and researcher in the U.S. And thanks to the growing popularity of Korean...

How a thrill-seeking personality helps Olympic athletes

Written by Kenneth Carter, Charles Howard Professor of Psychology, Oxford College, Emory University

One of the main draws of the Winter Olympics is the opportunity to witness some of the most exciting and nail-biting athletic feats.

The daring events include the bobsled and downhill skiing. Then there’s the terrifying skeleton: Imagine barreling down a narrow chute of twisted ice-coated concrete at 125 miles per hour. Now imagine doing...

Congress' budget dysfunction is more than 4 decades in the making

Written by Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, Harvard University

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

In an eleventh-hour twist, Sen. Rand Paul protested the costs of Congress’ latest budget deal and briefly shut down the federal government.

Then, in the wee hours of Feb. 9, both houses of Congress eventually voted to pass the budget...

15 questions to determine if your relationship is Hall of Fame material or a strikeout

Written by Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., Chair and Professor of Psychology, Monmouth University

Relationship science can weigh in on whether you're with a winner.Evgeniia Trushkova/Shutterstock.com

Decisions are a part of life. At various times you may need to choose the best vacation spot, job candidate, babysitter, or place to live. Your most important decision may be figuring out your best romantic partner. Relationships matter – a...