Maxwell School News

University Professor Sean O’Keefe reflects that working in both the legislative and executive branches "are both rewarding in their own different ways, as long as you don't confuse that bright line of distinction between policy formulation and program implementation. It typically works very successfully."

"Attention on the domestic political situation and the president’s dominance of the news and his well-being is obscuring what else might be going on in the world that should be drawing some of our attention," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

"Grandparents across the nation have stepped into additional caretaking roles as parents are challenged with working while their children attend virtual school at home. Even those grandparents who are already the sole caretaker for their grandkids are now taxed with additional parenting duties, including learning the technology of virtual schooling," writes Lerner Faculty Affiliate and University Professor, Madonna Harrington Meyer.

University Professor Sean O’Keefe analyzes that advancements during these past three administrations are proof that a NASA strategy can withstand nearly two decades of leadership transitions and annual appropriations. "Did it take a different route? Yup," says O’Keefe. "…But it’s still very much on exactly the same path."

"The further away, the less likelihood of being fired," says Assistant Dean Mark Jacobson of U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's frequent travel amid persistent rumors that he will either quit or be fired after the election. 

"Recognition of the multiple contributors to the wildfire crisis should enable us to move past the focus on simple solutions — one size does not fit all, and reducing fire impacts will require a mix of approaches that match the geographic and ecological complexity of fire regimes," writes Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment.

Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography and the environment, participated in "Intersectionality and Climate justice: Towards an Emancipatory Climate Research Agenda," an event organized by the Centre for Climate Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University. The international webinar brought together critical scholars interested in climate justice and intersectionality with the aim of exploring common threads between the two concepts.

"Short-term fixes like tariffs don’t work," says Professor Mary Lovely. She claims that the large U.S. trade deficit is fundamentally driven by larger economic factors—like the fact Americans spend more than they save and have to borrow from abroad to finance the difference.

"On a scale of one to 10, I’d say my worry is about a nine," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "There are several plausible scenarios that could cause this election to go off the rails."

"Attitudes and behaviors around COVID-19 have become really concrete at this point — it will take a lot to move them in a significant, lasting way," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.

Using multispecies ethnography, Whale Snow explores how everyday the relatedness of the Iñupiat of Arctic Alaska and the bowhead whale forms and transforms “the human” through their encounters with modernity. Whale Snow shows how the people live in the world that intersects with other beings, how these connections came into being, and, most importantly, how such intimate and intense relations help humans survive the social challenges incurred by climate change. In this time of ecological transition, exploring multispecies relatedness is crucial as it keeps social capacities to adapt relational, elastic, and resilient.

"This is news to me, and it's disturbing," says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion. "I asked around to other drug experts I know, and none of them knew this was happening. I am a bit shocked but shouldn't be. Corporations increasingly have access to a litany of data and know more about us than anyone else."

Chris Faricy, associate professor of political science, argues that the main obstacle to reforming the tax code is not President Donald Trump, but rather the upper-middle-class American voter.

Both school and community benefit from intentional partnerships like the i-team, according to Jonnell Robinson, assistant professor of geography. The focus on data analysis, for example, also serves the city’s pursuit of government and foundation grants. Students, meanwhile, connect to real-world problems, preparing them for employment in data and innovation offices.