The Conversation

Charities can get a 6% donations boost when Charity Navigator gives them more stars – but to get there, they might game the system

Written by Jennifer Mayo, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-Columbia

Getting all four stars has its rewards.ikonacolor/iStock via Getty Images Plus

With multitudes of worthy charities to choose from – and the possibility that a poorly run or fake nonprofit might trick you into thinking it’s a good cause – it’s sometimes hard to know which ones to support.

That’s why many donors...

Judging the judges: Scandals have the potential to affect the legitimacy of judges – and possibly the federal judiciary, too

Written by Ali S. Masood, Assistant Professor of Politics, Oberlin College and Conservatory

Activists call for ethics reform in the Supreme Court at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 2, 2023. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is no stranger to controversy.

In 1991, during his confirmation hearings in the Senate, Thomas faced accusations of sexual harassment from a former colleague and law...

How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy

Written by Archon Fung, Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School

An AI-driven political campaign could be all things to all people.Eric Smalley, TCUS; Biodiversity Heritage Library/Flickr; Taymaz Valley/Flickr, CC BY-ND

Could organizations use artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to induce voters to behave in specific ways?

Sen. Josh Hawley asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this question in a May...

The allure of the ad-lib: New research identifies why people prefer spontaneity in entertainment

Written by Jacqueline Rifkin, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Cornell University

What makes improvised stage patter more appealing than a canned script?FangXiaNuo/E+ via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Audiences love to see athletes and entertainers behaving spontaneously, according to our recent research, because ad-libbed lines, spectacular catches, improvised set...

Moldova is trying to join the EU, but it will have a hard time breaking away from Russia's orbit

Written by Tatsiana Kulakevich, Associate Professor of Instruction in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Affiliate Professor at the Institute for Russian, European, and Eurasian Studies, University of South Florida

People take part in a pro-European Union rally in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, on May 21, 2023.Elena Covalenco/AFP via Getty Images

Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, straddles Ukraine to its east and European Union countries to its west – placing it in an arguably vulnerable position in the ongoing war between Ukraine...

Work requirements don't work for domestic violence survivors – but Michigan data shows they rarely get waivers they should receive for cash assistance

Written by Kristina Nikolova, Research Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Windsor, and Adjunct Professor of Social Work, Wayne State University

Denying waivers to survivors of domestic violence can hinder their independence from their abusers. Alvaro Medina Jurado/Moment via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Very few people who have survived domestic violence are getting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) waivers from...

How do credit scores work? 2 finance professors explain how lenders choose who gets loans and at what interest rate

Written by D. Brian Blank, Assistant Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

One way to get a good credit score is to pay bills on time every month.tolgart/iStock via Getty Images Plus

With the cost of borrowing money to buy a home or a car inching ever higher, understanding who gets access to credit, and at what interest rate, is more important for borrowers’ financial health than ever. Lenders base those decisions...

How teachers can stay true to history without breaking new laws that restrict what they can teach about racism

Written by W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A growing number of states have passed laws that restrict what teachers can teach about racism.FangXiaNuo via Getty Images

When it comes to America’s latest “history war,” one of the biggest consequences is that it has made many K-12 educators scared and confused about what they can and can’t say in their classrooms.

Since...

New anti-transgender laws will hurt Indigenous peoples’ rights and religious expression

Written by Rosalyn R. LaPier, Professor of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Travis Goldtooth, a member of the Navajo Nation, was the reigning Miss Montana Two-Spirit in 2019.Katherine Davis-Young for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Montana’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte became the latest to sign several new anti-transgender laws, including one that will prevent gender-affirming medical care for minors.

One...

Governments and environmental groups are turning to international courts to address the impacts of climate change — podcast

Written by Daniel Merino, Associate Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

Can international courts help address the costs and causes of climate change?(Shutterstock), Author provided

This year, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the world’s highest court — is hearing its first argument about climate commitments.

In an effort to make sure countries and corporations follow existing...