News & Stories

Afghanistan flag in cloth
News August 15, 2023
SPIA Reacts: Afghanistan Under Two Years of Taliban Rule
August 15, 2023, marks a grim two-year anniversary: that of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Adela Raz, director of SPIA’s Afghanistan Policy Lab, marks the anniversary below. The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 marked one of the most agonizing moments of the 21st century for Afghan women and girls. Upon their return to power, the Taliban started the suppression of women's rights. Their actions have escalated in hostility, targeting the systematic erasure of women and girls from all facets of life. This encompasses the prohibition of girls' education and the enforced closure of public and private spaces essential for women's…
The us dollar against the background of a declining chart.
News August 07, 2023
SPIA Reacts: The United States’ Credit Rating Takes a Hit
Last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States’ credit rating from AAA to AA+. The agency cited the recent standoff over raising the country’s debt ceiling, the country’s debt burden, and the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. Layna Mosley, a professor of politics and international affairs in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, offered an analysis of the situation: Sovereign credit ratings ultimately are intended to measure the risk of a default – that a country will not repay (or, more modestly, will erode the real value of) its borrowing obligations. Credit ratings agencies therefore make judgements about…
Alyssa Sharkey
News August 01, 2023
Alyssa Sharkey Keeps a Finger on the Pulse of Health Equity Amid Historic Report
For the first time, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund have produced a joint report analyzing global progress on maternal deaths, newborn deaths, and stillbirths. Alyssa Sharkey, lecturer of public and international affairs, an affiliate in the Center for Health and Wellbeing, and an associate in the Office of Population Research, was the report’s lead writer. Here, she breaks down some of the findings in “Improving Maternal and Newborn Health and Survival and Reducing Stillbirth – Progress Report 2023.” SPIA: This report is historic in that it is the first time that data about women and newborns before and…
classified header
News June 09, 2023
SPIA Reacts: The Indictment of a Former President
Former President Donald Trump’s announcement that he has been indicted is likely to have significant and far-reaching legal and political ramifications. SPIA faculty weighed in with their analyses of the news. Jacob N. Shapiro, a professor of politics and international affairs and director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, researches conflict, economic development, misinformation, and security policy. We should all be cautious in our interpretation of this event until the indictment is unsealed. I am not surprised by this news based on the information out there in the media. Thousands of dedicated civil servants are bound tightly by the…
Silicon Valley Bank website
News March 28, 2023
SPIA Reacts: Bank Bailouts – No Bank Is Too Small to Matter
The Silicon Valley Bank bailout was necessary. But was it timely or fair? If the intervention itself was timely, the decision to intervene was by all indications anything but. In a similar vein, the bailout does not do particularly well on the fairness test. By excluding shareholders and bondholders from the benefits, it would appear that the cause of fairness is served, if one is willing to sweep under the rug the fact that not all of those “rich guys” are equally rich, necessarily richer than some of the large depositors who are made whole, or endowed enough to take the hit. But, more fundamentally and as a general proposition, any time “other…
shadow of a person in black and shadow of police officer in red
News February 02, 2023
SPIA Reacts: What Policymakers Can Do Now to Drive Meaningful Change Following the Police Killing of Tyre Nichols
Following the killing of Tyre Nichols, many across the country are again asking themselves ‘why’? Why do these incidents continue to happen? Despite the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd — police brutality and its disproportionate impact on Black people remains such an intractable issue in the United States. Udi Ofer, founding director of the Princeton Policy Advocacy Clinic and former Deputy National Political Director of the ACLU, and Laurence Ralph, Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the Director of Center on Transnational Policing offers their thoughts on what is the latest in…
Afghan girls at school in Herat, Afghanistan, 2019. Photo by Solmaz Daryani/Shutterstock
News January 09, 2023
SPIA Reacts: Implications of the Taliban's Decision to Ban Women and Girls From Attending School in Afghanistan
Late last December, the Taliban announced plans to ban women from attending universities and girls from attending schools in Afghanistan, one of the most dramatic rollbacks of civil liberties since the militant group seized power in Afghanistan following the U.S.’s withdrawal in 2021. Clearly, this decision will have an immense impact on Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls. But the swift condemnation from Western democracies means this decision could also have major implications on relations between the Taliban and the rest of the international community as the group strives to have its government in Afghanistan formally recognized. We…
News November 09, 2022
SPIA Reacts: Insights on the Implications of the U.S. Midterm Elections
There’s still much to unpack about what Election Day and the campaigns that preceded it mean for the U.S. election process, continued attempts to discredit legitimate elections in the world’s oldest democracy, and the future of the Democratic and Republican parties. Once all of the votes have been tallied, the composition of the incoming 118th Congress could have massive implications for what the Biden administration is able to accomplish during the next two years. We met with experts at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs to hear more about their reactions to the midterm election results and what they think they might mean for…
SPIA Reacts: Protests in Iran
News October 11, 2022
SPIA Reacts: Protests in Iran
More than three weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police, deadly anti-government protests continue across the country. World leaders have condemned the Iranian government’s actions, and the U.S. and Canada have released new sanctions against Iranian officials. As the civil unrest continues to intensify, many are wondering how long the movement can be sustained. We discussed the situation with experts at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Naima Green-Riley is assistant professor of politics and international affairs. She specializes in U.S. and Chinese foreign policy, with a focus on…
Migrants
Q&A September 15, 2022
SPIA Reacts: Have Migrants Become 'Political Pawns'?
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 14, causing confusion on the Massachusetts island. A day later, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent two buses of migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence, sparking further political debate. These actions have led some to wonder whether migrants are being used as "political pawns." We discussed the situation with experts at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Filiz Garip is professor of sociology and public affairs. Her research lies at the intersection of migration, economic sociology, and inequality. Douglas S. Massey is the…
Young, Gifted & Diverse book cover with Doug Massey
News August 24, 2022
“Young, Gifted and Diverse” — Q&A with the Authors
Despite their diversity, Black Americans have long been studied as a uniformly disadvantaged group. Drawing from a representative sample of over a thousand Black students and in-depth interviews and focus groups with over one hundred more, Young, Gifted and Diverse highlights diversity among the new educated Black elite — those graduating from America’s selective colleges and universities in the early twenty-first century. Q. Who comprises the new Black elite, and what does this book aim to say about them? A. The new Black elite that we studied were undergraduates students who graduated from a set of 28 selective colleges and universities circa 2003…
SPIA Reacts graphic
News June 24, 2022
Roe V. Wade Is Overturned
Today, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that protected women’s rights to choose an abortion. The decision determines that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion, instead leaving the right to the discretion of individual states. Our experts commented on this historic ruling from their areas of expertise. “Americans have woken up to the fact that the majority of this country supports legalized access to abortion. After the initial leak of the Dobbs opinion, Americans saw the extent of this support. Now, public reactions to the overturning of Roe will make it crystal clear: the Supreme Court…
Callout
News February 07, 2022
Q&A: Defining the Age: Daniel Bell
The sociologist Daniel Bell was described as one of the leading American intellectuals of the post-war era. He acutely defined the structural forces behind the transformation of the United States and other advanced societies in the 20th century. Bell’s ideas continue to provide profound insights in today’s world. This is what led Paul Starr and Julian E. Zelizer, both based at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, to edit a collection of essays about his influence: “Defining the Age: Daniel Bell, His Time and Ours,” published in February 2022 by Columbia University Press. The book brings together a group of distinguished…
Hooked, by Markus Prior, book cover
News January 24, 2022
Hooked: How Politics Captures People’s Interest (Markus Prior)
“Good citizenship” is often a consequence of political interest, and early adulthood may be the most formative time to develop political passion, according to a new book by Markus Prior, a professor of politics and public affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. As people take a greater interest in politics, they are likely to become more partisan, too. In an accessible account, “Hooked: How Politics Captures People’s Interest” explains the underpinnings of political interest. Using data from three decades in four Western democracies, Prior reveals why political interest matters — and where and when it’s most present. …
Haiti
Q&A September 29, 2021
SPIA Reacts: Haitians at the Texas Border
Thousands of Haitian migrants flocked to Del Rio, Texas, in recent weeks to attempt border crossing into the U.S. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Mexico have loaded more than 300 planes with migrants, sending Haitians back to the war-torn country. Labeling the situation as “inhumane,” some are pointing a strong finger at the Biden administration, which is using a policy known as Title 42 as a justification to deport Haitian migrants. This policy was first enacted in 2020 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We discussed the situation with experts at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Rafaela Dancygier…