Ebola’s Public Health Remedy

Ebola has hit West Africa hard. As of this writing, the CDC reports that the virus has infected more than 8,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 4,000 in the West African nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria since April. With a case fatality rate higher than 50 percent, governments have … Read more

Six, More Equal, Californias

Much like the seventh-inning stretch and the post-Thanksgiving nap, secession ranks high among American pastimes. Alongside the more well known – the South from the North, the United States from Britain – there have been more than fifty proposals calling for municipalities to secede and form new states since the nation’s founding. The most recent … Read more

StreetTalk – Perspectives: Being Asian American at Harvard

Students from the Asian & Pacific Islander community share their experiences about being Asian American at Harvard and getting involved with Asian American spaces on campus. Designed to promote solidarity among all Asian and Asian Americans, “Perspectives” was initiated and organized by Harvard students who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander. The event was … Read more

Trickle-Up Government

Washington is broken. Mired in partisan gridlock, the federal government is barely able to pay its own bills let alone deal with the nation’s long-term problems. From our struggling economy to our failing schools to our broken immigration system, we face a deficit of leadership. It’s no wonder the American people have no faith in … Read more

Reframing the Axis of Evil

“At the time, Iran was the epitome of evil and to be Iranian was a heavy burden to bear….[Yet] the more time passed, the more I became conscious of the contrast between the official representation of my country and the real life of the people, the one that went on behind the walls” —Marjane Satrapi … Read more

The Numbers on Party Polarization

Since 2010, the media have constantly harped on Congress’s inability to do anything productive, blaming it on a spike in party polarization due to right-wing movements such as the Tea Party and a lack of cooperation. Data indicate party polarization has gradually increased over the past 20 years with two spikes in 1994 and 2010 … Read more

Anne Lewis and Todd Plants on Digital Political Marketing

Can the slight rewording of a “contribute” button on a political candidate’s website really lead more people to donate more money? Does asking for $5 instead of $10 actually increase the number of repeat donors? Surprisingly, seemingly minor marketing techniques such as those have proven successful for many political campaigns and other organizations. Anne Lewis … Read more

Bolivia’s Perennial President

It is often expected that democracies impose term limits on presidential candidates. Such is the case in Bolivia, where the current term limit is set at two terms and general elections are set for October 12, 2014. So why is the incumbent, Juan “Evo” Morales, running for the third time? The simple answer is that … Read more

Uncle Sam’s Perennial Lessons in Food Critiquing

“There is an inherent talent required to do the job and do it well. Never forget that critiquing is founded on the principles of Economics; we want to maximize the number of satisfied restaurant goers by utilizing the least amount of resources. You must constantly ask yourself: What am I doing to fulfill my God-given … Read more