The Conversation

Broadband internet can help rural communities connect – if they use it

Written by Brian Whitacre, Professor and Extension Economist, Oklahoma State University

Using the internet is what matters.Woman on laptop via shutterstock.com

Being able to connect to the internet is crucial for many rural Americans. It allows them to buy goods and services that may not be available locally; market their own goods and services to a much larger area; connect remotely with health services that previously required...

Uber's dismissive treatment of employee's sexism claims is all too typical

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Uber has suffered a spate of bad publicity in recent days after allegations of harassment and discrimination from a former software engineer.

In a blog post, Susan Fowler described being propositioned by her supervisor within weeks of starting her job. She complained to the human resources (HR) team. According to Fowler, the supervisor received a...

Want a stronger economy? Give immigrants a warm welcome

Written by Kevin Shih, Assistant Professor of Economics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Immigrants have long been a scapegoat when economies are sputtering, jobs are being lost or security is a concern.

President Donald Trump’s planned wall along the Mexican border, for example, is premised on the notion that immigrants are pouring across the border (they’re not), taking Americans’ jobs (they haven’t) and...

How the 'guerrilla archivists' saved history – and are doing it again under Trump

Written by Morgan Currie, Lecturer at Woodbury University, University of California, Los Angeles

Both sea ice and government data are disappearing.U.S. Geological Survey, flickr

On Inauguration Day, a group of students, researchers and librarians gathered in a nondescript building on the north side of the University of California, Los Angeles campus, against a backdrop of pelting rain.

The group had organized in protest against the new U.S....

Threats of violent Islamist and far-right extremism: What does the research say?

Written by William Parkin, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Seattle University

On a Tuesday morning in September 2001, the American experience with terrorism was fundamentally altered. Two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-six people were murdered in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Thousands more, including many first responders, lost their lives to health complications from working at or being near Ground Zero.

The 9/11...

Red state rural America is acting on climate change – without calling it climate change

Written by Rebecca J. Romsdahl, Professor of Environmental Science & Policy, University of North Dakota

One primary concern in rural areas: higher temperatures put strain on water and energy sources. AP Photo/Robert Ray

President Donald Trump has the environmental community understandably concerned. He and members of his Cabinet have questioned the established science of climate change, and his choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency,...

Puzder's failed nomination reminds us why the secretary of labor matters

Written by Raymond Hogler, Professor of Management, Colorado State University

Andrew Puzder’s brief foray into government ended last week when he withdrew his nomination as Donald Trump’s secretary of labor. Just a day later, the administration named its new nominee for the job, Alexander Acosta, dean of the law school at Florida International University.

Put simply, Acosta is a qualified nominee for the...

In latest skirmish of western land wars, Congress supports mining and ranching

Written by Adam M. Sowards, Professor of History, University of Idaho

Sheep move through public lands near Shoshone, IdahoBLM/Flickr, CC BY

Republicans in Congress are enthusiastically using the Congressional Review Act to overturn regulations finalized during the last weeks of the Obama administration. One measure on their list is the Bureau of Land Management’s new Planning 2.0 rule, which is designed to...

Diversity is on the rise in urban and rural communities, and it's here to stay

Written by Jennifer Van Hook, Liberal Arts Research Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University

Schoolchildren play on a New York subway.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Racial and ethnic diversity is no longer confined to big cities and the east and west coasts of the United States.

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, racially and ethnically diverse metropolitan areas were more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton. Whiter metro and rural areas...

How social media stars are fighting for the Left

Written by David Craig, Fellow at the Peabody Media Center and Clinical Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Tyler Oakley speaking in California.Gage Skidmore/flickr, CC BY-SA

In the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. elections, numerous accounts surfaced of nefarious content creators profiting by posting fake content on social media. The most successful engaged in “anti-Clinton fervor,” promoted Donald Trump’s candidacy and spread right wing...