Brian Atwood penned this article on the current immigration challenge facing the United States.
2021 In the News
Guns, beer and doughnuts: Vaccination push appeals to our vices (commentary by Emily Oster)
Emily Oster in Head Topics, "I'm basically a fan of anything that makes it fun," in reference to offering giveaways to those who get vaccinated.
This article references a study by Patrick Heller that found that countries led by elected autocrats are the most dismal performers in the fight against COVID-19.
Racial wealth gap may be a key to other inequities (John Friedman cited)
John Friedman is cited in this article as one of the co-founding directors of Opportunity Insights.
India's chaotic Covid crisis damages PM Narendra Modi's public image (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney in Modern Ghana, "This is too immense a period of suffering and it will be too hard to convince people that this was just down to 'divine will' or individual failures to wear a mask."
This article references the Costs of War project at Watson stating, "...at least 83 civilians were killed in 24 separate U.S. attacks in the first nine months of last year."
Former CEA Arvind Subramanian joins Brown University as a senior fellow (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney provides commentary in this article on welcoming Senior Fellow Arvind Subramanian to Watson.
Enough With the Bombs (Costs of War report cited)
This article cites the Costs of War report at Watson, referencing the number of civilians killed in overseas wars since 9/11.
Expert cited in Greene report says austerity 'never works' (interview with Mark Blyth)
In this interview, Mark Blyth explains why cutting spending could have catastrophic economic consequences.
Elected autocrats, their pandemic responses (written by Patrick Heller)
In this opinion piece, Patrick Heller explains how elected officials in the U.S., Brazil, and India made the effects of the pandemic worse.
Biden Shows True Colors Proposing Bigger War Department Budget than Trump (Costs of War report cited)
This article draws statistics from the Costs of War report at Watson in reference to Biden's new proposed military budget.
Double duty: Should R.I.'s citizen legislature become a full-time body? (comments by Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller said Rhode Island could move to a hybrid model in which representatives and senators are paid more but also have longer sessions.
Doctor/Spy: how MDs get involved in espionage (comments by Rose McDermott)
Rose McDermott offered commentary on US medical intelligence and leadership profiling efforts.
China Blasts Defense Secretary Austin as 'Unprofessional and Unfriendly' (comments by Tyler Jost)
Tyler Jost comments in U.S. News & World Report on the relationship between U.S. and Chinese military leaders.
No time to waste: Taubman panel recaps Biden's first 100 days
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A favored phrase in diplomacy rings hollow (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in Boston Globe Opinion, "The widespread outrage over Israel's attack might be seen as support for a genuine "rules-based order." Yet some of the most outraged world leaders are themselves reckless rule-breakers."
No 'smoking gun' yet in Pius XII archives, researchers say (commentary by David Kertzer)
David Kertzer is cited and provided commentary in this article stating, "I do not think there is going to be one smoking gun — in fact, I would despair of any evidence that's actually changing people's minds these days."
The Health 202: Coronavirus vaccines for adults and teens are obvious. Not so for younger kids. (Emily Oster cited)
Emily Oster is cited in this article for her opinion on how public health officials should handle Covid-19 vaccinations for younger children.
This article references a Twitter thread by Emily Oster about a study on school reopenings in Texas.
Who's scared of a little inflation? (interview with Mark Blyth)
Mark Blyth appeared in this podcast segment stating, "You've got quite naturally a lot of what we call bottlenecks, a lot of supply shortages, across different sectors that are all coming out of hibernation at once."
AFL-CIO's VP Tefere Gebre: Filibuster slams workers, refugees, people of color (commentary by Richard Arenberg)
Richard Arenberg offered commentary in this article stating, "Given that and a right-wing president—such as if Trump wins back the White House in 2024–all past progressive legislation could be undone."
Opinion: Taking on military spending (Costs of War report cited)
This article cites the Costs of War project at Watson in reference to the number of counterterrorism operations the U.S. was involved in between 2018-2020.
Everybody is angry': Modi under fire over India's Covid second wave (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney in the Guardian, "Modi's image will depend on how the mass suffering is interpreted, and whether he can successfully deploy his skills at narrative shifting, but I think he will have to pay a price."
Commentary: The US needs a new China strategy (written by Chas Freeman)
Chas Freeman penned this article on the current and future status of U.S.-China relations.
This article includes commentary from Stephanie Savell and cites a visual essay featuring new Costs of War data.
Bloomberg Daybreak: May 13, 2021 (interview with Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller appeared in this radio segment of Bloomberg Daybreak to discuss the future of the GOP.
How India's Covid-19 crisis diminished Narendra Modi (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
Ashutosh Varshney provided commentary in this article.
This article cites the Costs of War project at Watson, referencing the amount of money spent on post-9/11 wars.
This article cites the Costs of War project, specifically noting the number of British casualties during the peak of allied deployment in Afghanistan.
Brian Atwood penned this article on Biden's plans to help restore America's foreign policy, with nods to "intermestic policies" from past leaders in office.
Emily Oster in TODAY, "I think parents are excited about some return to normalcy but also finding everything very confusing. The messaging around kids is really split between 'they are low risk' and 'they're unvaccinated so you still can't do anything..."
Emily Oster in Chalkbeat, "The overall picture shows a change in a lot of other things at the same time — work hours, for example — and although that could be a result of school opens, it may also be that other restrictions changed."
Washington is playing a losing game with China (written by Chas Freeman)
Chas Freeman penned this article stating, "There are many issues that cannot be addressed without Chinese participation. Chinese capacity needs to be leveraged to serve those US interests."
The human-focused startups of the hellfire
This article cites the collaboration between the Watson Institute and Project HOPE to train 100,000 healthcare on the new virus.
With masks on, three feet is just as safe as six feet apart for COVID-19 (Emily Oster cited)
Emily Oster contributed to a study that found no substantial difference in the number of cases of COVID-19 among either students or staff in school districts that implemented a distancing policy of three feet versus six feet between students.
Op-Ed: How anti-democratic politics make India's COVID calamity worse (written by Prerna Singh)
Prerna Singh penned this article on the current crises in India, including a deadly COVID-19 outbreak and the erosion of democracy.
Why it's hard to get good projects going (written by Marc Dunkelman)
Marc Dunkelman penned this column on America's absence of a centralized figure empowered to cut through the objections and force bureaucracies to serve a common mission.
In Defense of Liberal Conspirators (Costs of War report cited)
This article cites the Costs of War project at Watson stating, "...Over five hundred thousand people have perished as a result of the war on terror, not counting casualties in Syria."
The remarkable transformation of Germany's Green Party (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer penned this article on Germany's Green Party rising to power.
In this article, Ashutosh Varshney compares the current Modi regime to Mao's China.
Anthony Fauci on ending the Covid seesaw (commentary by Emily Oster)
This article includes commentary from Professor Emily Oster, and references her "follow the science" research.
The covid recovery still has a K shape (Opportunity Insights cited)
This article draws on data by Opportunity Insights, co-directed by John Friedman.
This article references the Costs of War project in reference to the amount of money spent on post-9/11 wars.
How Indian Americans Got the President's Ear (commentary by Prerna Singh)
Prerna Singh in Politico, "This is a man-made crisis...and that man is Modi."
Biden's Daycare Plan Is Bad for Families (Emily Oster cited)
This article cites Emily Oster and the prevalent criticism that arose after Biden announced a federal push for children to attend daycare.
City of the Dead (interview with Omer Bartov) *In German*
In this interview, Omer Bartov delves into his research of the Holocaust.
The liberals who can't quit lockdown (commentary by Emily Oster)
This article references previous commentary by Emily Oster.
Out of Frame: Visual Counter-Narratives Reframing Development Studies
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