Maxwell School News and Faculty Media, Opinion and Analysis

Radcliffe quoted in Deseret News article on COVID-19 double standards

For people struggling to stay motivated to continue social distancing and wearing masks, cases where public officials ignore the very rules they are imposing on others can be frustrating. In the field of behavioral ethics, this phenomenon is called "ethical fading," says Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs. The term describes the way people deceive themselves to hide the wrongness of their choices. But, officials should be held to a higher standard, he says, especially when public health is on the line. "People who have considerable power or ability to influence others have a greater obligation to make sure that their actions match their words—because their words and actions can affect the behavior and welfare of others," says Radcliffe. Read more in the Deseret News article, "7 times public officials had double standards on COVID-19."

January 4, 2021

Monnat discusses COVID’s role in rising drug overdose deaths with the Associated Press

December 23, 2020

McDowell looks at policy responses to COVID-19 economic fallout in World Politics Review

Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science, looks back and then looks ahead at government responses to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in his latest article, "Governments Acted Fast to Save the Economy. Now Too Many Have Pandemic Fatigue," published in World Politics Review.

December 22, 2020

See related: COVID-19, Economic Policy, United States

McDowell examines how Biden will handle trade in World Politics Review

"While there is some room for Biden to maneuver when it comes to tariffs and other measures, the apparent durability of a Trumpian approach to trade signals that a new era in U.S. trade policy has not only arrived, it plans to stay awhile," writes Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.

December 16, 2020

See related: Federal, Trade, United States

Schwartz discusses challenges of post-COVID school mobility in The 74

"The literature says, 'These [mobile] kids do worse,'" says Amy Ellen Schwartz, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Affairs. "But really, on the whole, we’re unable to fully disentangle the effects of moving from the underlying factors that led to it. And from a policy point of view, I’m not sure it matters: You show me a kid who’s moved three times in the last eight months, I’ll show you a kid who needs special attention."

December 16, 2020

Purser cited in Washington Post article on economic relief package

According to research by Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, somewhere between 2.4 million and 5 million American households are at risk of eviction in January alone if Congress fails to reach an agreement on economic emergency relief.

December 15, 2020

Heflin discusses impact of COVID-19 on food security in Daily Gazette

In a choice between basic necessities, often, food is the first expense to be slashed, a decision that can result in adverse health effects for high-risk people. "This could put a further strain on the non-COVID health care system," says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

December 14, 2020

See related: COVID-19, Food Security, United States

Lasch-Quinn talks to spiked about her new book, Ars Vitae

Why write a book that appears to be calling for greater self-focus, for the cultivation of more "inwardness," when we appear to have a surfeit of damaging self-centered introspection as it is? Because, Professor of History Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn says in her new book, "Ars Vitae," today’s self-obsession entails "a false kind of inwardness. It’s a sham, It’s not the real thing."

December 11, 2020

See related: Europe

Jacobson comments on Trump's changes at the Pentagon in Politico

"It's likely that most are rolled back by Biden administration," says Mark Jacobson, assistant dean of Washington programs, about Trump's changes at the Pentagon. "But the point is all of these cost money, waste time and hamper the ability of the national security establishment to focus on the real threats the United States faces," he adds.

December 11, 2020

Sultana weighs in on New York State fossil fuel divestment in City & State

December 10, 2020

See related: Environment, New York State, State & Local

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