9/27
Public Policy
More than 2 million additional Americans faced food insufficiency following SNAP benefits drawdown
A study from Penn Medicine finds that after discontinuing pandemic-related food assistance benefits, Americans faced a substantial increase in food insufficiency, which can contribute to chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
What policymakers can learn from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program
A new Wharton study finds a new student loan debt forgiveness program for teachers program “broken,” and raises broader issues on how student aid programs could backfire.
To increase acceptance of an RSV vaccine, explain the FDA’s vaccine approval process
A new report by Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center shows a need for more public visibility of the FDA’s rigorous review process to sway public opinion about the safety of vaccines and maternal health during pregnancy.
People with a conspiracy mindset resist childhood vaccination
Research by Dan Romer and Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center explains the role that having a conspiracy mindset plays in adult reluctance to vaccinate children.
PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger
In the wake of the controversial golf deal, Benjamin L. Schmitt of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Kleinman Center discusses “sportswashing,” malign influence campaigns, and steps global democracies can take to prevent it all.
The risky business of homeowners insurance
State Farm, the largest insurer in California, has stopped writing new home insurance policies there, citing “rapidly growing catastrophe exposure.” In a Q&A, Wharton’s Benjamin Keys discusses climate change and its risk to the real estate market.
Sonja Dümpelmann on designing nature
Sonja Dümpelmann, professor of landscape architecture, explores ‘the reciprocal relationship’ between humans and their environments.
To protect children online, researchers call for cross-disciplinary collaboration
A team of neuroscientists and legal experts, including Gideon Nave of the Wharton School, published a perspective in Science drawing attention to the need to develop science-backed policies that take into account children’s vulnerabilities in the digital world.
Beyond America’s racial fault line
Professor of practice Ben Jealous discussed race, politics, America’s long history of interracial collaboration, and his new book with Camille Z. Charles during a co-sponsored event at Kelly Writers House.
What is the future of Social Security?
As Social Security continues to march toward insolvency, Olivia S. Mitchell of the Wharton School discusses current policy debates and the role of financial literacy in achieving reform.
In the News
Antitrust deal cops to peek at worker abuses, stirring backlash
A 2021 paper co-written by Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice found that local industry wage increases are associated with decreases in the prevalence and severity of labor-rights violations caught by federal agencies.
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Do higher deficits cause inflation? Not this year
Kent Smetters of the Wharton School says that rising deficits can pose economic problems but that the connection between inflation and fiscal factors has often been overstated or misunderstood.
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Kathleen Hall Jamieson on civics education and bridging political divides
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center discusses the importance of civics education as a tool to bridge political divides.
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‘Unluckiest generation’ falters in boomer-dominated market for homes
Joseph Gyourko of the Wharton School says that high interest rates for mortgages are a burden on young people who don’t have the higher salaries of some older Americans.
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Are U.S. seniors among the developed world’s poorest? It depends on your point of view
Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School explains why it’s difficult to judge the extent to which American seniors are falling behind in achieving a secure retirement.
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Judicial nomination process leads to a Supreme Court of nobodies
According to a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, barely 40% of Americans believe that Supreme Court justices are more likely to set aside their personal and political beliefs to make rulings based on the Constitution, the law, and the facts.
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