New $1M Gift to Build Bridges and Create Global Map to Enhance Democracies
See related: Giving
Pralle Speaks With Texas Tribune About Camp Mystic, Flood Zones
“We overbuild in flood zones everywhere across the country…but with camps it's especially worrisome. You're not just putting yourself at risk, you're putting these children at risk who you're supposed to be looking out for their safety,” says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.
See related: Flood Insurance, Natural Disasters, State & Local, United States
In Memoriam: Patricia Ingraham
Patricia Wallace Ingraham, a longtime Maxwell School faculty member who, among many accomplishments, was founding director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute and the first woman to be named a distinguished professor. Ingraham passed away on June 22, 2025. She was 82.
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Reeher Weighs In on Redistricting Arms Race in The Hill
“Redrawing districts in between the decennial censuses will just lead to a redistricting arms race,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “What both parties are doing is bad for the political system generally, the state legislatures and the Congress, and the citizens.”
See related: Political Parties, State & Local, U.S. Elections, United States
Pralle Quoted in NY Times on the EPA’s Move Away from Protecting Against Climate Change
“This conservative, anti-regulatory, anti-welfare-state ideology all comes together in kind of shifting risks back to individuals,” says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.
See related: Climate Change, Environment, Federal, United States
Gadarian Quoted in Fortune Article on Zohran Mamdani and Gen Z
“We’re not seeing young people go live on communes,” says Shana Gadarian, Merle Goldberg Fabian Professor of Excellence in Citizenship and Critical Thinking. “They’re working at banks, they’re starting gig economies, they’re working in high tech. If that’s not capitalism, I’m not clear what would be.”
See related: New York City, State & Local, U.S. Elections
Reeher Quoted in The Hill Articles on NYC Democratic Mayoral Nominee Zohran Mamdani
“His intense ground game—you can’t underestimate the power of that,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “Even from political science research, we know that the most effective way to get people to turn out is face-to-face contact. He’s doing a lot of that. …He’s got tons of volunteers.”
See related: New York City, Political Parties, State & Local, U.S. Elections
Zhang Weighs In on the AI Moratorium Defeat in MIT Technology Review Article
Baobao Zhang, Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI, says that the administration may have been willing to give up on the moratorium in order to push through the rest of the bill by its self-imposed Independence Day deadline.
See related: Autonomous Systems, State & Local, United States
Palmer Quoted in US News & World Report Article on Creating a My Social Security Account
“It's the highest 35 years of covered earnings that count toward the benefit calculation,” says John Palmer, University Professor Emeritus and former public trustee for the Medicare and Social Security programs. If you don't have at least 35 years of work listed, zeros are averaged into the final calculation.
See related: Retirement, United States
How News Coverage of Misinformation Shapes Perceptions and Trust
Emily Thorson, associate professor of political science, has published How News Coverage of Misinformation Shapes Perceptions and Trust (Cambridge University Press, 2024). The book analyzes how the media addresses the issue of misinformation and how such coverage shapes public perception and trust.
See related: Federal, Media & Journalism, State & Local, United States
AI Boost or Bust? Johannes Himmelreich
Maxwell School professor examines the philosophy and ethics of data science and artificial intelligence.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Data Privacy, Ethics, Government
Pralle Featured in Associated Press, NY Times Articles on FEMA Flood Map Exemptions for Camp Mystic
“It’s a mystery to me why they [Camp Mystic] weren’t taking proactive steps to move structures away from the risk, let alone challenging what seems like a very reasonable map that shows these structures were in the 100-year flood zone,” says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.
See related: Federal, Flood Insurance, Natural Disasters, United States
Robert Rubinstein Honored With 2025 Wasserstrom Prize for Graduate Teaching
The award recognizes a faculty member who has an important impact on students and a special interest in the graduate seminar.
See related: Awards & Honors
It's Not the Economy: The Effect of Framing Arguments on Attitudes Toward Refugees
The article, co-authored by Lamis Abdelaaty, associate professor of political science, was published in International Migration Review.
See related: Economic Policy, Human Rights, International Affairs, Law, Political Parties, Refugees, United States
Maxwell Professors Named Inaugural Meredith Professor Faculty Fellows
Mark Brockway, assistant teaching professor of political science, and Zach Huitink, associate teaching professor of public administration and international affairs, will work in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and the associate provost for academic programs to address teaching topics identified by the vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.
See related: Promotions & Appointments
Retiring University Professor, Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe Reflects on Legacy of Service
O’Keefe says his time as a Maxwell graduate student taught him the importance of employing a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving, examining the wide range of possible outcomes and identifying what success looks like.
See related: Alumni Experience, School History
Reeher Quoted in Associated Press, Newsweek Articles on Zohran Mamdani’s NYC Mayoral Primary Win
“If I’m a Republican, I want this guy to win,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “Because I want to be able to compare and contrast my campaign as a Republican, in a national election, to the idea of, ‘This is where the Democratic party is.’”
See related: New York City, Political Parties, State & Local, U.S. Elections
Cohen Weighs In on US Tariffs on Secondhand Items in WIRED Article
Professor of History Andrew Wender Cohen says a reasonable approach would be to maintain tariffs on used items but at lower rates that would be commensurate with the risk posed to domestic manufacturing.
See related: Federal, International Affairs, Tariffs, United States
Himmelreich Piece on Global Justice of AI Infrastructure Published in Cairo Review of Global Affairs
“Washington uses ‘chokepoints’ to restrict global access to AI development, but this approach may threaten U.S. national security while creating significant moral dilemmas,” says Johannes Himmelreich, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Autonomous Systems, China, Government, International Affairs, United States
Thompson Quoted in Associated Press, NPR Articles on Pope Leo’s US Citizenship
Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and political science, says she doubts Leo will renounce his U.S. citizenship. “I think he wants to stress that he is the pope of the universal Catholic Church,” Thompson says, “and not an American holding that position.”
See related: Europe, Government, International Affairs, Latin America & the Caribbean, Law, Religion, United States