Public Policy

An Amtrak Acela train with the Philadelphia city skyline in the background

The bullet train turns 60

In both Asia and Europe, high-speed rail knits regions, countries, and continents together. What will it take to see more rail infrastructure in the U.S.?

Kristina García ・

A car getting an emissions test.

Will America’s clean car policies persist?

Four ambitious clean-car policies are driving a major transformation in the United States. Will they survive legal and political threats?

From Kleinman Center for Energy Policy ・

A small child getting a Band-Aid on their arm from a doctor after receiving a vaccine.

False belief in MMR vaccine-autism link endures as measles threat persists

As measles cases rise across the United States and vaccination rates for the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine continue to fall, a new survey finds that a quarter of U.S. adults do not know that claims that the MMR vaccine causes autism are false.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center ・

Two people sit in front of the glass doors of a brick building.

‘Moving along’ to the Dutch-German border

A new documentary co-produced and co-starring Simon Richter of the School of Arts & Sciences invites viewers to imagine the day when the Dutch may have to move toward Germany as sea levels rise and how that might happen peacefully and innovatively.

Kristen de Groot ・



In the News


CNN

A $28 trillion problem is about to get much worse. Harris and Trump are ignoring it

Kent Smetters of the Penn Wharton Budget Model says there’s a risk that inflation will ramp up if the widening deficit prompts the Fed to “print more money” to help the government pay off its debt.

FULL STORY →

Los Angeles Times

Trump’s rhetorical walkabouts: A sign of ‘genius’ or cognitive decline?

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that reporters should throw off the traditional journalistic imperative of brevity and simplicity by quoting Donald Trump in full.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Teaching civics helps to understand government — and how to change it for the better

A survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that 35% of Americans are unable to name all three branches of their country’s government. Kathleen Hall Jamieson is quoted: “Civics knowledge matters. Those who do not understand the rights protected by the Constitution can neither cherish nor invoke them.”

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The Hill

Neither Harris nor Trump can make housing more affordable

Joe Gyourko and Jacob Kimmel of the Wharton School found that zoning restrictions increase housing costs on median lots in multiple states.

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CBC News

Trump’s key to victory in the U.S. election? Men who hate politics

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump is appearing on podcasts to gain access to a large anti-establishment audience.

FULL STORY →

Marketplace (NPR)

Can an algorithm break antitrust law?

Joe Harrington of the Wharton School discusses how antitrust laws are holding up to new technology like third-party pricing algorithms.

FULL STORY →