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    Ranked choice voting in New York City will not upset the two-party system, but it is raising questions about political parties

Ranked choice voting in New York City will not upset the two-party system, but it is raising questions about political parties

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Last month, New York City held primary elections for Mayor and other city government positions. These contests used ranked-choice voting (RCV), whose majoritarian version is gaining popularity in the United States. Jack Santucci questions whether RCV has transformed New York City politics and argues it is part of a wider debate about the role of political parties in America. 

New […]

July 22nd, 2021|Democracy and culture, Jack Santucci|0 Comments|
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    Billionaire private investment is good for the space industry, whether we like it or not.

Billionaire private investment is good for the space industry, whether we like it or not.

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This month sees two billionaires – Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos – perform suborbital flights on vehicles designed by their own companies. Hanh Nguyen-Le tracks the recent history of billionaire space projects, from space tourism, to operating commercially and contracting with the federal government. Despite billionaires’ unpopularity with much of the public, they argue that billionaire-involvement in space is […]

July 19th, 2021|Economy, Hanh Nguyen-Le|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution by Michael McConnell

Book Review: The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution by Michael McConnell

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In The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution, Michael McConnell explores presidential power and its limits under the Constitution. Jeffrey K. Tulis gives an overview of the book, and discusses the merits and serious defects of its legalistic approach to presidential power. 

The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution. Michael […]

July 18th, 2021|Book Reviews, Democracy and culture, Jeffrey K. Tulis|0 Comments|
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Book Review: The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race and the Gentrifying City by Tyler Denmead

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In The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race and the Gentrifying City, Tyler Denmead reflects on his role in founding New Urban Arts, an arts and humanities programme primarily for young people of colour in Providence, Rhode Island, using this as a means to critically examine how well-meaning arts organisations can replicate systems of race- and class-based inequalities in the face of gentrification. […]

July 18th, 2021|Book Reviews, Kevin Ritter, Urban, rural and regional policies|2 Comments|
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    From smart to good cities: shifting the focus from technology to quality of life

From smart to good cities: shifting the focus from technology to quality of life

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People now use a number of terms to classify cities. The commonly used ‘smart city’ is preferred by tech companies. But their idea of ‘smart’ focuses on big data collection and narrow technological monitoring. Alternative terms include liveable, healthy, sustainable, adapting, carbon-neutral, and inclusive. Each one has its own limitations. Chetan Choudhury writes that the essence is simple: a city should […]

July 17th, 2021|Chetan Choudhury, Urban, rural and regional policies|0 Comments|
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    Family prison visits increase the chance of employment after release for those who have served fewer than three prison terms

Family prison visits increase the chance of employment after release for those who have served fewer than three prison terms

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For those who have been incarcerated, employment after release can reduce the likelihood of further criminal activity and a potential return to prison. In new research, Chantal Fahmy and Matthew Gricius examine the impact of prison visits by family members on the likelihood of employment after release. Using survey data, they find that those who were visited by family […]

July 16th, 2021|Chantal Fahmy, Justice and Domestic Affairs, Matthew Gricius|0 Comments|
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    Women who argue in front of the US Supreme Court win just as often as men – but it’s harder for them to get there.

Women who argue in front of the US Supreme Court win just as often as men – but it’s harder for them to get there.

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Over the past 70 years, lawyers have argued cases before the US Supreme Court more than 10,000 times, but just under seven percent of these appearances have been by women. In new research, Jonathan S. Hack and Clinton M. Jenkins find that while over time, women have been no less likely to win a Supreme Court case than men, […]

July 16th, 2021|Clinton M. Jenkins, Jonathan S. Hack, Justice and Domestic Affairs|0 Comments|
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    ‘Taxation by citation’ in many US cities does little to protect the public and can compromise individual rights

‘Taxation by citation’ in many US cities does little to protect the public and can compromise individual rights

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Over the past decade many US cities have attempted to fix budgetary holes by raising revenues via enforcing their municipal codes. Dick M. Carpenter II investigates three cities in Georgia which undertake “taxation by citation”. He finds that the budget share of fines and fees were three times higher for these cities than in others, most citations had little […]

July 16th, 2021|Dick M. Carpenter II, Justice and Domestic Affairs|0 Comments|
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    Is the battle over voting rights the biggest test of US democracy?

Is the battle over voting rights the biggest test of US democracy?

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In a 13 July speech in Philadelphia, US President Joe Biden called the fight around voting laws the “most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War.” Is he right? In this explainer, Julie Norman breaks down the voting rights battle now unfolding in Congress and discusses what’s at stake. 
What are the new voting laws? 
In the first six […]

July 15th, 2021|Elections and party politics across the US, Julie Norman|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything by Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán

Book Review: The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything by Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán

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In The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything, Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán offer a new account of the history and workings of payments infrastructures, showing how the movement of money is crucial to understanding financial power today. Offering careful and accessible insight into the basics of payments and intelligent analysis of the Fintech boom, this […]

July 11th, 2021|Book Reviews, Economy, Martin C. W. Walker|0 Comments|
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