Watson Institute

Professor Ross Cheit wins Beckman Trust Award

Professor Ross Cheit was awarded the prestigious Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Trust Award for inspiring a former student to make a difference in his or her community.
This weekly "polling roundup" quoted public policy professor Eric Patashnik, who said that "it is already clear that Republicans have made it even harder for their party to govern if they manage to retain control of both chambers and take another stab at dismantling Obamacare."
James N. Green, Director of the Brazil Initiative, on the upcoming presidential election in Brazil, "Should Bolsonaro win the popular vote at the end of October, he will have the backing of a conservative majority in the Congress to carry out his far-right agenda. Should the left manage to flip the projected outcome and elect Haddad to the presidency, it will undoubtedly be a weak government."
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "As a young reporter in El Salvador during the late 1970s, I came to know the country's highest-ranking cleric, Archbishop Oscar Romero. A few days ago Pope Francis elevated him to sainthood."
Nina Tannenwald in Foreign Affairs, "After decades of arms control agreements, security cooperation, and a growing consensus about the unacceptability of nuclear weapons, the world is now headed in the opposite direction."
Associate Professor Jeff Colgan in The Washington Post, "The United States could live without Saudi Arabia, but it would be costly. A positive relationship between Washington and Riyadh can help minimize interstate conflict in the Middle East — and keep a lid on volatility in global oil markets."
WNYC's On the Media

Full faith and credit (interview with Mark Blyth)

This episode of On the Media looks at the story of money, from its uncertain origins to its digital reinvention in the form of cryptocurrency, and features political economist Mark Blyth discussing the history of money and how cryptocurrency could shape the future of money.
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "The Nobel Peace Prize can give voice to the voiceless while telling the rest of us something we don't already know. Unfortunately, the Nobel Committee sometimes succumbs to the lure of politics."
Former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and current Senior Fellow Chas Freeman gives his insight on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, journalist and outspoken critic of the Saudi Arabian regime, "It's certainly a gross violation of diplomatic norms to abduct people from consular premises. It's even worse to murder them in such premises and assert immunity."
Senior Fellow Richard Boucher comments on Nikki Haley's resignation as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. "She has been unique in this administration, not because she's pushed a strong U.S. agenda, but in showing that to accomplish our goals we need to sit down with other countries and work in concert with allies and friendly countries."
One of the studies to examine the rollout of California's new academic standards in the recently released Getting Down to Facts project found encouraging signs from teachers and principals whom researchers interviewed. "There were strong signals from teachers in high poverty schools that they were seeing improvement" in teaching and in training in the standards, said Professor Susan Moffitt.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will commit $15 million to get the new initiative Opportunity Insights, co-founded by associate professor of economics John Friedman, off the ground. This week, the organization, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, published comprehensive nationwide data and maps that predict the likelihood that kids will escape poverty based on where they live.
Senior Fellow Richard Arenberg in Newsmax, "Without the filibuster as a counter-weight against totally majority-driven procedures, Chairman Grassley (R-IA) and his majority were able to ignore fundamental demands. The minority was helpless to insist that all the necessary documents be produced to the committee."
Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe, "American leaders are threatening Iran in terms more vituperative than any the United States has ever used against a sovereign nation. To accompany their threats, they have embarked on the harshest campaign of economic sanctions in modern history."
In collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau, Opportunity Insights, a research and policy institute formed by economists from Harvard and Brown Universities, including Associate Professor John Friedman, released an interactive mapping tool called "The Opportunity Atlas." The Opportunity Atlas helps predict how neighborhoods influence the trajectories of the children who grow up there.
Senior Fellow Timothy Edgar provided commentary on the future of satellites and surveillance. "You study what cars are parked in the parking lot; that can reveal an enormous amount of information. It's used to plan military attacks. It could be used for corporate espionage."
International Relations student Ethan Fecht in The Washington Post's Monkey Cage Blog, "...there's another weapon being deployed. Russia has begun laying the groundwork for an online influence operation aimed at turning U.S. public opinion against such a strike. How would this Twitter campaign unfold?"
Associate Professor of Economics John Friedman offered commentary on Brightline's expected acquisition of a private rail project on the Las Vegas Strip. "...Friedman concluded Brightline would be unable to service its debt burden on the Miami train system, in a study funded by a citizens group opposed to the rail line."