LSE Comment

In this section you can read recent expert commentary from LSE academics on important issues around American Politics and Policy. This section also contains reviews of recent books by LSE academics and book reviews from LSE staff and alumni.

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    How Joe Biden can restore normalcy to US politics after four years of Donald Trump.

How Joe Biden can restore normalcy to US politics after four years of Donald Trump.

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On Saturday, following several days of vote counting in key states which followed Election Day, former Vice President Joe Biden was declared to be the winner of the 2020 presidential election. LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz looks at the three main political challenges which President Elect Biden is likely to face, and whether Trump’s populist politics still […]

  • Permalink The front side of the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, October 16, 2020.Gallery

    Tonight’s election debate may be Trump’s last chance to close the polling gap with Biden.

Tonight’s election debate may be Trump’s last chance to close the polling gap with Biden.

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Tonight President Donald Trump and former Vice President, Joe Biden, will meet for the final election debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. In this Q&A, LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz writes that the debate is an important moment for Trump. Facing a large polling gap as the election nears, the president now needs to convince undecided […]

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    Trump can’t run on his economic or COVID-19 record. Now, he’s banking on his “law and order” message breaking through.

Trump can’t run on his economic or COVID-19 record. Now, he’s banking on his “law and order” message breaking through.

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This week, President Trump visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, after several days of protests in the city which followed the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake. In this Q&A, LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz writes that Trump’s visit will likely do little to help him to close the gap in the national polls with his Democratic […]

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    Despite convention attacks on Biden, the election is still a referendum on Donald Trump

Despite convention attacks on Biden, the election is still a referendum on Donald Trump

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This week the Republican Party held its national convention to nominate Donald Trump as the party’s presidential candidate. In this Q&A, LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz comments that the Republicans’ attacks on the Democrats as being soft on law and order issues at their convention is part of their attempt to win back white suburban voters. To […]

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    November nightmare: How Trump could exploit absentee ballot counting delays to contest the election results

November nightmare: How Trump could exploit absentee ballot counting delays to contest the election results

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With less than four months remaining until the presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden holds a substantial lead over President Trump in the polls. US Centre Director, Professor Peter Trubowitz writes that the COVID-19 pandemic means that there will be far more absentee ballots cast this year, and that we should not discount the likelihood of President Trump using […]

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    Racist policing is making Black and White Americans question police authority

Racist policing is making Black and White Americans question police authority

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In new research based on a nationwide survey of 1,500 Americans, Jonathan Jackson and co-authors find that years of racially targeted policing is leading people to question the fairness and legitimacy of the police, such that 40 percent believe that the police should be defunded. Regardless of respondents’ race, they find that concerns about the under-protection and over-regulation […]

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    The fragmented US system means that the battle for criminal justice reform must be fought in multiple political arenas. 

The fragmented US system means that the battle for criminal justice reform must be fought in multiple political arenas. 

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The death of George Floyd while being arrested by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota has sparked worldwide protests and calls to defund US police forces. Nicola Lacey discusses the differences between these and previous protests concerning police brutality, how the nature of the US criminal justice system affects them, and the chances for meaningful police reform.

1. We’ve seen protests before linked to police related killings, […]

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    How hoax information on social media about COVID-19 might be worsening the pandemic.

How hoax information on social media about COVID-19 might be worsening the pandemic.

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Information claiming that the COVID-19 is a hoax has unfolded on social media at the same time as the virus has spread across the world. Ralf Martin has analysed nearly 12 million tweets for spikes in COVID-19 hoax related content. He finds that those posting coronavirus related hoax content are more likely to mention Donald Trump, and that many […]

The future of work: opportunities for a gender new deal

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Basic income debates seem directed towards a genderless, universal citizen, ignoring the potential to challenge the resiliently gendered division of paid and unpaid labour, writes Sarah Ashwin.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have sparked renewed fears regarding the future of work. One widely discussed solution to this perceived problem is a universal basic income (UBI), provoking debates about the justice, […]

Super Tuesday was a great night for Joe Biden

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Yesterday, voters in 14 states and American Samoa voted for their choice to be the Democratic Party’s nominee to face President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz writes that former Vice President Joe Biden had a very good night, having taken the lead in the pledged delegate count. We may now see […]

This work by LSE USAPP blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported.