The Conversation

No visits and barely any calls – pandemic makes separation even scarier for people with a family member in prison

Written by Alexander Testa, Assistant Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio

A Texas woman shows a picture of her 21-year-old son, who has been incarcerated during the pandemic. AP Photo/LM Otero

Jails and prisons in the United States had a coronavirus infection rate three times greater than the general population, with an average of 1,400 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths every day over the past year.

America’s...

Student loan debt is costing recent grads much more than just money

Written by Kate Padgett Walsh, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Iowa State University

Recent college graduates owed an average of nearly $30,000 in student loans in 2019.lightspeedshutter/iStock via Getty Images Plus

President Joe Biden promised to forgive up to US$10,000 in student loan debt during his 2020 campaign. Now, a few months into his presidency, over 415 organizations have urged him to use his executive authority to...

Why it's good for kids to have friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds

Written by Leah M. Lessard, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, University of Connecticut

Having a diverse set of friends supports youth development.Mark Lennihan/AP

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

The big idea

Friendships that bridge across social class – “cross-class friendships” – can minimize middle school academic achievement differences that are based on the level of...

There are plenty of moral reasons to be vaccinated – but that doesn’t mean it’s your ethical duty

Written by Travis N. Rieder, Director of the Master of Bioethics degree program at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University

Ethicists disagree on whether people are morally obligated to take small actions that – on their own – contribute only slightly to the collective good.Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

With the news that all U.S. adults are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the holy grail of infectious disease mitigation – herd...

An advantage of the government's new payments for families: Not humiliating poor people

Written by Wendy Bach, Professor of Law, University of Tennessee

Nearly all U.S. families with children will benefit.Tara Moore/Stone via Getty Images

The US$1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package President Joe Biden signed in March 2021 will expand the child tax credit for one year. Instead of providing families with up to $2,000 per child under 17, the government will distribute a total of $3,600 for each...

What's next for Cuba and the United States after Raul Castro's retirement

Written by Joseph J. Gonzalez, Associate Professor, Global Studies, Appalachian State University

With Raul Castro's resignation as first secretary of the Communist Party, the Castro era is officially over in Cuba.Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Cuba’s Castro dynasty has officially ended.

On April 16, 2021, Raul Castro – younger brother of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro – relinquished his position as first secretary...

From haute cuisine to hot dogs: How dining out has evolved over 200 years – and is innovating further in the pandemic

Written by Hannah Cutting-Jones, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Oregon

The dining-out experience has changed as people wear masks and are separated by plexiglass in outdoor dining.Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Dining out has for generations been a fun way to celebrate special occasions, meet friends or just enjoy a quiet evening with someone special. But for many, that ended almost overnight last...

Democratic bill attempts to undo voter restrictions of past 15 years

Written by Nicholas Espíritu, Lecturer in Law, University of California, Los Angeles

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and fellow Democrats address reporters on H.R. 1 at the Capitol in Washington on March 3, 2021. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photos

The recent national elections — conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — highlighted difficulties Americans face to register to vote and cast a ballot. But...

Interstate water wars are heating up along with the climate

Written by Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona

Aerial view of Lake Powell on the Colorado River along the Arizona-Utah border.AP Photo/John Antczak

Interstate water disputes are as American as apple pie. States often think a neighboring state is using more than its fair share from a river, lake or aquifer that crosses borders.

Currently the U.S. Supreme Court has on its docket a case between Tex...

Brazil’s economic crisis, prolonged by COVID-19, poses an enormous challenge to the Amazon

Written by Peter Richards, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University

A deforested piece of land in the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho, in the state of Rondonia, in northern Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2019.Carl De SouzaA/FP via Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed his country’s participation in a virtual climate summit convened by the U.S. for April 22 and 23, vowing in a recent letter to U.S....