This article cites Costs of War, referring to the number of Afghan civilians killed in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter.
In the News
The federal government wasn't tracking COVID-19 cases in schools, so Emily Oster decided to do it herself (interview with Emily Oster)
In this podcast, Emily Oster discusses the national COVID-19 School Response Dashboard and her COVID-19 tracking efforts.
40,000-Person Iceland Study Finds Youth Under 15 Half as Likely to Catch and Spread Coronavirus (interview with Emily Oster)
Emily Oster in The 74, "The reason for [the comparable rates among teachers across grade level] is likely that infections are occurring outside school."
Trump bid to overturn election stymied, but scars will remain (commentary by Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller offered commentary in this article.
Unemployment claims hit highest mark since September (Opportunity Insights cited)
This story on unemployment rates across the nation references data from Opportunity Insights, a research center directed by John Friedman.
Alumni Spotlight: Catherine Tonsberg, MPA '19
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Farmers' protest: Why agri reforms are hard to sell (commentary by Ashutosh Varshney)
This article includes commentary from Ashutosh Varshney.
Amid L.A. COVID-19 surge, 'stay-home' message isn't working (commentary by Emily Oster)
This article includes commentary from Emily Oster about her research and COVID-19 tracking efforts.
How often is COVID-19 spreading in Massachusetts schools? (commentary by Emily Oster)
Emily Oster offered commentary on the transmission of COVID-19 within schools.
A monstrous secret CIA mind control project revealed (commentary by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer provided commentary in this article on his book, "Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control."
Three nations could rule the world together if they wanted (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe, "The muse of history reminds us that everything nations do today shapes their prospects in the world of tomorrow."
Fewer troops won't end wars. Most U.S. combat involves airstrikes. (Stephanie Savell cited)
This article cites research produced by Costs of War Senior Research Associate, Stephanie Savell.
In-person school best for kids' learning and mental health: Expert (interview with Emily Oster)
In this interview with KCBS, Emily Oster explains that in-person learning seems to be better for kids, if there is a way to do it safely.
Why Americans need a stimulus deal in three stats (commentary by John Friedman)
In this article, John Friedman provides three main statistics that show why American families need additional federal aid as the pandemic surges on.
Libya announces 204% increase in oil exports in November (commentary by Jeff Colgan)
This offers commentary by Jeff Colgan on OPEC agreements.
Youth sports have been hit with few coronavirus outbreaks so far. Why is ice hockey so different? (commentary by Emily Oster)
Emily Oster provided commentary in this article on the effect of Covid-19 on youth sports.
In this interview, Emily Oster reveals her five-step process to make decisions in the face of uncertainty during COVID-19.
U.S.-Funded Counterterrorism Efforts in West Africa Aren't Helping (Costs of War Report cited)
This article was reported in partnership with the Costs of War Project.
Social justice begins with open schools and school choice (Emily Oster cited)
This opinion piece references the research and tracking efforts of Emily Oster.
Climate Change, National Security, & the New Commander-in-Chief (Costs of War Report cited)
This article cites Watson's Costs of War report on the U.S. military's consumption of fossil fuels.
Gender and Political Violence (written by Rose McDermott)
Rose McDermott penned this piece on the correlation between healthy lifestyles amongst men and women, and the likelihood of war and international struggle.
When schools reopen will you send your child back? (Emily Oster cited)
This article references the research and tracking efforts of Emily Oster.
Democrats Stuck Between "BlackRock and a Hard Place" (interview with Mark Blyth)
Mark Blyth appeared in this podcast interview alongside Rana Foroohar.
Why These Countries Value Happiness Over Endless Economic Growth (commentary by Patrick Heller)
Patrick Heller in the Huffington Post, "This isn't magic...The kind of investments required – in high-quality education, health care and safety nets – are relatively straightforward. Making them effectively is the challenge."
Emily Oster provided commentary in this article around her national COVID-19 database saying, "Schools are opening and yet we don't seem to have any coordinated way to collect and share information about what's working, what's not working, how risky are schools."
Biden Wants America to Lead the World. It Shouldn't. (Costs of War Report cited)
This article cites Watson's Costs of War report on the number of people displaced due to post-9/11 wars.
Governor steps up pressure to return kids to school (Emily Oster cited)
This article references the research and COVID-19 tracking efforts of Emily Oster.
One sector is flourishing during the pandemic: K-12 private schools (Emily Oster cited)
This article references the research and tracking efforts of Emily Oster.
The Health 202: The Evidence Doesn't Support Closing Schools to Stop the Coronavirus (commentary by Emily Oster)
Emily Oster provided commentary in this article on COVID safety in the classroom.
Emily Oster on the Pandemic (interview with Emily Oster)
Emily Oster talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the challenge of reopening schools in a pandemic.
Biden prepares radical policy adjustments on COVID, economy, immigration and more (commentary by Stephanie Savell)
In this piece, Stephanie Savell provides commentary on the transition of military defense from the Trump administration to Biden's.
In this interview, Emily Oster provides data-driven insight to New Hampshire school districts currently thinking about transitioning to remote learning due to COVID-19.
Senior Fellow Heidi Heitkamp penned this op-ed on how the mismanagement of the IRS has had a disproportionate impact on working Americans.
Biden focuses on US climate diplomacy with key role for John Kerry (commentary by Jeff Colgan)
Jeff Cogan provided commentary in this article, which also cites the Climate Solutions Lab at Watson: "There's so much that a federal government can do on climate change across the various agencies, not just at the state department, or the Treasury or the Environmental Protection Agency, or the Federal Reserve, at all of them...We should not forget how powerful the president can be."
Rich donors don't make great ambassadors (written by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "Biden has a chance to end the longstanding practice of handing out ambassadorships as political rewards. The temptation to continue, however, is strong. Biden is unlikely to resist it any more successfully than his predecessors."
Emily Oster said she is surprised to hear that the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is relying on the Covid-19 School Response Dashboard, a website she started to promote in-person learning for schoolchildren.
Emily Oster appeared in this interview segment on school closures due to COVID-19.
Bloomberg Daybreak: November 23, 2020 (interview with Wendy Schiller)
Wendy Schiller appeared in this Bloomberg radio interview.
Emily Oster in NHPR, "I think we need to say, let's draw some guidelines about what we would see and when."
Schools are not spreading covid-19. This new data makes the case. (written by Emily Oster)
Emily Oster penned this column arguing that the best available data suggests that infection rates in schools simply mirror the prevalence of COVID-19 in the surrounding community — and that addressing community spread is where our efforts should be focused.
A ferry sank, killing hundreds. Now, a film stirs decades-old Baltic mystery. (commentary by Stephen Kinzer)
Stephen Kinzer in The Christian Science Monitor, "To this day I remember looking at people's blank faces in Turku and [Estonia's capital,] Tallinn. Even for those of us not directly affected, it was a traumatic episode to live through. It's engraved in my memory forever."
The Health 202: The evidence doesn't support closing schools to stop the coronavirus (interview with Emily Oster)
In this article, Emily Oster provides information on transmission of the virus, or lack thereof, in schools that are now facing temporary closures.
Managing Methane Needs to Become a Top Priority (co-written by Deborah Gordon)
Deborah Gordon co-wrote this piece on the potent climate pollutant methane, which is 100 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
Mark Blyth in this article, "When the pandemic subsides, the fight for the economy begins in earnest."
Holy Silence (interview with David Kertzer)
This film features interviews with David Kertzer on Pope Pius XI's handling of the Holocaust during World War II.
Mao's Lesson for Trump's America (written by Edward Steinfeld)
Watson Director, Edward Steinfeld penned this article on the power of leadership.
The CIA's Secret Quest For Mind Control: Torture, LSD And A 'Poisoner In Chief' (interview with Stephen Kinzer)
In this interview segment, Stephen Kinzer delves into CIA mind control - focusing specifically on the use of LSD.
In this piece, Emily Oster provides information on the closing of schools in New York and the debate on why it's happening.