How Bad Policy Ends Up on Our Sidewalks
From scooter start-ups to public-health issues, sidewalks have long been a dumping ground for all kinds of policy failures.
Policy
What Scientists Are Saying About the EPA's 'Secret Science' Rule
Leaders in the scientific community fear Scott Pruitt's new directive would severely limit the use of research in policymaking.
HUD Secretary Proposes Steep Rent Increases for Americans in Federally Subsidized Housing
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson plans to propose rent increases of up to 300 percent for low-income households, the Washington Post reports.
How Can U.S. Policymakers Fix the Broken Criminal Justice System?
A criminal justice expert weighs in on a recent report to the United Nations outlining systemic racism in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Taking Freedom: Theorizing Audience, Products, and Provocation
On an approach to research that works with communities to address important issues they are facing, using "weapons of mass instruction" that help groups make decisions, work together, and mobilize.
Arizona Bill Places New Restriction on Abortion
Women in Arizona must now fill out a questionnaire before receiving an abortion.
PS Picks: The 'New York Times' on High Drug Prices in America
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
The Importance of Keeping Forests Intact
A recent study illustrates why humans need to step up their efforts to save the world's forests.
Catastrophic Wine Country Fire Shows Shortfalls in Policy and Preparedness
In response to the devastation caused by the Tubbs Fire, California needs to rethink its approach in dealing with future urban conflagrations.
Is Trump Right About the Debt Ceiling?
The president is saying we should get rid of the debt ceiling. Lots of economists would agree.
Listening to Rural Communities at the Policy-Making Table
What might it look like to have governance structures that fuel understanding with rural communities on a larger scale?
Romper los Malos Hábitos
Solicitando al gobierno para que te ayude a mantener tu resolución de Año Nuevo.
How a Law Can Help People Break a Bad Habit
Asking the government to help you keep your New Year's resolution.
The Cost of Fear-Based Policy
Most acts of terror within the United States are carried out by right-wing domestic extremist groups. But that isn’t how Americans imagine terrorists. Our flawed perceptions are leading to poor policy.
Three Data-Based Answers to Top Questions About Marijuana Policy
Pacific Standard dips into the archives for some hard numbers on pot.
Which Gun Laws Work?
A review of more than a decade of gun-law science pinpoints which laws are backed by the best evidence.
Why Do Different States Have Wildly Different Ideas About Government?
For the most part, Americans are in broad agreement about political concepts. We believe that individuals have certain natural rights, and that the purpose of government is to serve and protect its citizens. But when you get to the specifics....
Want to Win a Political Debate? Try Making a Weaker Argument
Gun control? Abortion? The new social science behind why you're never able to convince friends or foes to even consider things from your side.
Will Rising Mortgage Rates Put an End to the Housing Recovery?
Rising rates will obviously send monthly payments higher, but they'll also affect the market in a more unusual way: They're going to hurt all-cash investor purchases of housing, which have been a boon to the most distressed markets.
10 Fascinating Things About State Politics You Probably Didn't Know
States place industrial plants near downwind borders to pass on environmental costs, state legislatures have stopped growing to keep up with population growth, and other lessons from the 13th annual State Politics and Policy Conference.
Who Owns Government-Funded Research Papers?
The Research Works Act would prevent publicly funded research from automatically being available to the public for free. Private publishers back the bill, while open-access partisans are appalled.
Crafting Policy to Bridge the Red-Blue Divide
The Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank founded four years ago by four former U.S Senate majority leaders, works to overcome political polarization.
Don’t Tax Soda, Tax Sweeteners
Efforts to slow obesity by taxing sodas hit the wrong target, argue three economists who propose a better-aimed tax on sugar and syrup that even they admit still sidesteps the real problem.
Consistency Key to Renewable Energy Policy
A new report on funding renewable energy projects offers a primer on how policy decisions are best engineered to boost the industry.