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Reducing Justice System Inequality May 01, 2018
Reducing Justice System Inequality
Q&A: Advice and Dissent: Why America Suffers When Economics and Politics Collide April 19, 2018
Q&A: Advice and Dissent: Why America Suffers When Economics and Politics Collide
Can America’s failing economic policies be fixed? This answer depends on how willing economists and politicians are to work together, according to a new publication by Princeton’s Alan S. Blinder.In his latest book, Blinder explains how economists sometimes overlook the human costs of best economic policy, while politicians often go to economists to reinforce their own preconceived ideas. But if politicians and economists could better work together, it could result in better policies the country so desperately needs.A renowned economist, Blinder is the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School…
WWS Reacts: Cuba’s New President April 19, 2018
WWS Reacts: Cuba’s New President
Miguel Díaz-Canel was named president of Cuba, marking a historic shift in power. This is the first time in nearly six decades a Castro isn’t leading the country. A quieter politician, Díaz-Canel has served as Cuba’s first vice president since 2013. Díaz-Canel succeeds Raul Castro, who is expected to remain head of the Communist Party. We discussed the announcement with Princeton University experts Miguel Centeno and Stanley N. Katz. Centeno is the Musgrave Professor of Sociology and professor of sociology and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He’s also chair of Princeton’s Department of…
Q&A: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World April 18, 2018
Q&A: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World
From Korea to Afghanistan, the U.S. military has waged war in pursuit of peace. Yet, have these military interventions — which have cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars — created sustained peace?Amb. Frederick D. Barton, lecturer of public and international affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, attempts to answer this question in a new book: “Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World.”Mixing stories, history and analysis, Barton draws upon more than three decades of work in global conflict. The book offers a transformative approach to foreign affairs and possible…
Paul Ryan
WWS Reacts: Paul Ryan’s Retirement and the Republican Party April 11, 2018
WWS Reacts: Paul Ryan’s Retirement and the Republican Party
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan announced he will not seek re-election in November, a move that’s caught some in the Republican party off guard. We discussed the implications of Ryan’s retirement with Nolan McCarty, Susan Dod Brown Professor of Politics and Public Affairs and chair of Princeton University’s Department of Politics, and Brandice Canes-Wrone, Donald E. Stokes Professor of Public and International Affairs and Professor of Politics, both at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. McCarty studies U.S. politics, democratic political institutions and political game theory. He is the author and co-author of several books…
Experts Call for National and Corporate Action to Combat Disinformation on Social Media April 09, 2018
Experts Call for National and Corporate Action to Combat Disinformation on Social Media
Move over Fake News: Hostile Neighbors Pose Big Threats to Governance April 09, 2018
Move over Fake News: Hostile Neighbors Pose Big Threats to Governance
Propaganda by way of “fake news” is one way a nation can wage war without firing a single shot. Another is through tactics of subversion and coercion, in which a country intentionally keeps neighboring countries weak in order to advance its own foreign policy interests, according to a new study from Princeton University. For example, without taking over any territory in Eastern Ukraine, Russia made Ukraine undesirable and ungovernable by fomenting dissent and aiding in separatism. This is a form of subversion used to disrupt governance in a weak country.The study, published in the journal International Organization, employs a statistical analysis of…
WWS Reacts: The ISIS Files April 06, 2018
WWS Reacts: The ISIS Files
Through five trips to Iraq, a team of journalists from The New York Times uncovered a trove of Islamic State documents that explain how the group took control of Iraq and Syria. Taken together, the documents show how ISIS, for a short period of time, established its own government, or caliphate. We discussed their findings with Jacob N. Shapiro, professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Shapiro, who also is the director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict project, studies political violence, economic and political development in conflict zones, security policy…
Photo credit: Chris Austin MPA ’19
“Practicing What We Preach” — Students Give Back to Isles Youth Institute April 04, 2018
“Practicing What We Preach” — Students Give Back to Isles Youth Institute
“The Woo is a community that is constantly thinking about how to create a better world. And, as we all think about complex global problems in varying fields, there is something to be said about working for the local community around Princeton and reflecting upon the inequalities that exist so close by,” said Swetha Balachandran MPA ’18.Earlier this academic year, Swetha Balachandran MPA ’18 and fellow graduate students continued the Woodrow Wilson School’s close service relationship with Isles Youth Institute, a nonprofit based in Trenton, New Jersey, which supports at-risk youth so they can complete their educations and become self-reliant…
WWS Reacts: The 2020 Census March 30, 2018
WWS Reacts: The 2020 Census
President Donald Trump’s plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census has sparked controversy in Washington and beyond. Below, Princeton University scholar Douglas S. Massey answers questions about the census and how this might change the way information is collected. Massey is the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. His research focuses on international migration, race and housing, discrimination, education, urban poverty and Latin America, especially Mexico. Q. What is the history of the census? Massey: Some may wonder why people are so worked up…
Q&A: The Presidency of Barack Obama March 29, 2018
Q&A: The Presidency of Barack Obama
How did President Barack Obama shape the political landscape? A new book edited by Julian E. Zelizer provides the first historical assessment of President Obama.The book, “The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment,” combines analysis from leading American historians, putting the Obama administration into political and historical context.Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and a CNN political analyst. He is the author and editor of 18 books on American political history, has written hundreds…
Q&A: The Influence of Scientists and Technology in World War II March 20, 2018
Q&A: The Influence of Scientists and Technology in World War II
Technology plays a powerful role in war. This was especially evident in World War II, which occurred during an era rich with technological innovation. From atomic weapons to remote sensing, many of the devices employed for military use then are still used today.A new book, “Scientists against Time: The Role of Scientists in World War II,” by Harold A. Feiveson explores the role of scientists and technology in World War II. Below, Feiveson answers a few questions about his book.Feiveson is a senior research scientist, emeritus, in the Program on Science and Global Security, based at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and…
Defending Democracy: Princeton Conference to Address Civil, Military Responses in an Age of Disinformation March 02, 2018
Defending Democracy: Princeton Conference to Address Civil, Military Responses in an Age of Disinformation
Robert Mueller’s recent indictment of 13 Russians and their “troll farm” has given us a clearer view of what an adversary can do with disinformation. Yet, on Feb. 27, Adm. Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, testified before lawmakers that while the U.S. is taking steps against Russian interference, “we’re probably not doing enough,” and are not prepared to withstand another assault during the 2018 elections.While propaganda is hardly a new tactic of war, technology has made it easier, faster and more effective. Defending America’s democracy from the dissemination of fake news and disinformation through…
Anne Case and Angus Deaton
Why ‘Deaths of Despair’ May Be a Warning Sign for America March 01, 2018
Why ‘Deaths of Despair’ May Be a Warning Sign for America
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs logo on a grey background.
A Renaissance of Self-Determination February 14, 2018
A Renaissance of Self-Determination
In October 2017, after declaring Catalonia’s independence from the Kingdom of Spain pursuant to an affirmative majority vote on a referendum for secession, Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the regional government of Catalonia — an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain — fled to the Kingdom of Belgium to avoid arrest on charges of sedition and rebellion. The Spanish government annulled the results of the referendum and ordered new elections for the region of Catalonia, which resulted again in a majority for the parties supporting independence. It appears uncertain how this phase in the long-standing Catalan strife for more self-governance will…