Maxwell School News and Commentary

"As these last few weeks have shown us, the pandemic is not over," says Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, professor of economics. He says the recent surge in COVID-19 cases could lead to another round of business closures and job losses, potentially unwinding a portion of the labor market’s summer rebound.

The Cortland County flood map "might show a reasonable flood risk today, but since we don’t make those investment decisions with ramifications far into the future, the maps don’t really help us plan for a different climate," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science. "When we look at flood maps now, the conversations are about the insurance cost," Pralle says. Instead, "we have to get to the point where we talk about these things as risks and how to mitigate these things as well." Read more in the Cortland Standard article, "What Cortland County’s flood map does, and doesn’t, show." 

Polarization will also likely exist long after President Donald Trump has left the stage, says Jeffrey Stonecash, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science. "A fundamental argument coming out of the Democratic Party is that things are not fair. You have a Republican Party making a moral argument that’s fundamentally different...that it’s not about ‘fairness,’ it’s about who’s more deserving," he writes.

"On automotive trade, I don’t think you’re going to see Biden making much of a move," says Professor of Economics Mary Lovely. "There’s no way, especially with the labor support Biden has, he’s going to change that."

"The president has been asking Americans to deny what they see happening right in front of them. People are tired. They want to see some leadership and a coordinated national coronavirus response," says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion.

Professor Emeritus David Bennett expresses concern that Americans view President Trump as a president who has "taken a pickax to the tent poles of democratic institutions." According to Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, one of the ways the President's strategy has been ineffective "is telling people not to be worried about something that is in fact worrisome."

According to Professor Emeritus William Banks, sending uniformed troops to the polls, including the [National] Guard, would be unwise. "The overriding point is that we don’t want the military involved in our civilian affairs. It just cuts against the grain of our history, our conditions, our values, our laws."