When people think of public servants, they traditionally think about police officers, teachers, and counselors. Each public servant represents a unique and valued member of society. Yet, firefighters do not always come to mind as public servants even though they are one of the most essential professionals in American society. 2020 data indicates that a…
Category: Population studies
Research Spotlight: Abortion rights protests have been peaceful. Will that change?
This post originally appeared in the Washington Post. Outraged by the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion suggesting that Roe v. Wade will soon be overturned, elected Democrats from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, to scores in between have been denouncing the move. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters have gathered in front of the Supreme Court and courthouses across the…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Mitchell Budihas from the Department of International Affairs
What department are you a graduate student in? I am a graduate student in the International Affairs department. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I decided to go to graduate school to further my education and figure out what I wanted to do with my life while I transitioned out of the Army. Did…
Dissertation Spotlight: Broadening vs. Deepening: The Correlates of Support for European Integration
European integration, or the political, economic, social, and cultural integration of European states, has been deeply investigated for decades through two different processes: broadening and deepening. Broadening is the enlargement of the membership of a particular international group, while deepening is EU institutional development for those who are already a part of that group. Most…
Research Spotlight: Why not both? The Liberal-Realist Model of Public Opinion
What drives Americans’ preferences for potential alliance partners? In an ideal world, an alliance partner would bring not only strategic benefits, such as increasing the United States’ national security, but would also share liberal values, such as a belief in the virtues of democracy. In reality, the demands of the geopolitical environment may push the…
Meet Social Science Scholar Macie Lavender
This past summer, I participated in CIEE’s Summer Arabic Language study abroad program based in Amman, Jordan. I thus had the opportunity to not only travel to Amman, but to live and study there for eight weeks as part of an intensive, immersive Arabic language program. The classes were in both Modern Standard (MSA)…
Research Spotlight: Informality, Developing Countries, and the Global Financial Crisis
Informal economic activity poses a substantial challenge to both developed and developing countries to the point that both academics and international institutions such as the IMF exert a great deal of time and resources studying its determinants and how to combat informality. Large informal economic activity can have important negative macroeconomic consequences for several reasons….
Graduate Student Spotlight: James Stewart from the Department of Political Science
What department are you a graduate student in? I am a graduate student in the department of Political Science. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I decided to go to graduate school after writing an undergraduate thesis on the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Vote Share for Far-Right Parties in Europe. That project…
Research Spotlight: Rosie the Riveter, Vera the Volunteer: Sexism, Racism, and Female Enlistment in WWII
When the United States entered World War II, women were mobilized in large numbers for non-combat military roles for the first time in U.S. history. Women and men alike were willing to sacrifice extensively to win the war; in December 1941, 91 percentage of Americans supported declaring war on the Axis Powers. Given the overwhelming…
Research Quick Take
Here at the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP), our faculty have been quite busy! Here are some of the projects that our faculty have recently published. “Struggles and Strategies of Black Women Business Owners in the U.S.” by Dr. Paromita Sanyal In her recent article, Dr. Sanyal explores if Black women business…
Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions 