Spotting Election Fraud Gets Smarter, Cheaper
A push from USAID to cut costs and develop better solutions to international problems produces a more effective way to monitor elections.
Great Debate: Will Politicians Answer the Question?
American political campaigners are primed to deliver talking points regardless of the question they’ve actually been asked. Two professors offer tips for more on-target debates going forward.
In ‘Open Government Data,’ What’s Really Open?
In parsing the meaning of “open government,” citizens weigh the availability of information against the transparency of creating it. It’s a rare grammar debate that affects the course of democracy.
How Incumbents in Washington Hurt the Economy
Researchers looking at federal government spending on states discover that having a powerful, long-tenured legislator in D.C. actually hurts the local economy.
Housing Crisis Hits Poor Renters Hard
As the middle class sidles out of the houses it can no longer pay for, the migration is making it harder for the poorest renters to find a place.
How the Military Can Change Personalities, Slightly
Military training seems to permanently make a grunt less agreeable, which both surprises and reassures traditionally minded psychologists.
Public Schools Good for People Without Kids, Too
What makes communities strong and vibrant? Researchers say local schools bring a raft of positives to town — even for the childless — beyond creating an educated populace.
Think Tanks Are Nonpartisan? Think Again
Once seen as non-ideological “universities without students,” the American think tank has, in many cases, become a partisan stalking horse that devalues the sector’s scholarship.
Surplus Government Property: Homeless Help vs. Revenue
Turning unloved federal property into homeless services centers has been federal law for a quarter century, but tough times have bureaucrats hoping to shove that tradition into the cold.
Gender Wage Gap Skewed By Survey Flaws
The wage gap between the sexes in America has been closing much faster than anyone realized, but that’s tempered by learning it’s been much wider than measurements had shown.