The U.S. Postal Service and financial sustainability: Research roundup
2013 collection of academic studies and research papers on the United States Postal Service, including its Constitutional mandate, legal constraints and financial situation.
Politics & Government
Research roundups, tip sheets, articles and explainers related to the topic of politics, elections, and local and national governments
Expert Commentary
When and why minority legislators matter
2014 study in the Annual Review of Political Science assessing whether officeholders of racial or ethnic minorities better represents the interests of constituents from those minorities.
Expert Commentary
The societal costs and benefits of commuter bicycling
2014 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives models four different approaches for increasing bicycle use and details their costs, effectiveness and health impacts.
Expert Commentary
Political polarization in the American public
2014 study by the Pew Research Center based on a national survey that explores how political polarization affects government, society and people’s lives.
Expert Commentary
The financial incumbency advantage: Causes and consequences
2014 study from the London School of Economics and Harvard University on the advantages that incumbent candidates in U.S. elections can have over challengers.
Expert Commentary
The 2014 crisis in Iraq: Research perspectives and background
2014 review of scholarship that helps provide perspective on the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria, including the rise of the jihadist Sunni group al-Sham.
Expert Commentary
Why we kill: Reviewing the political science research on the roots of violence
2014 paper from Dartmouth College on the evolving research understanding of political violence and a review of key intellectual trends.
Expert Commentary
A “majority-minority” America, and perceived status threat by white citizens
2014 study in Psychological Science on the potential social and political responses of white Americans to future demographic shifts.
Expert Commentary
Economic growth and developing world cities: The benefits of urban clustering
2014 study from the University of Pennsylvania showing how urbanization can foster economic growth in the developing and developed world.
Expert Commentary
Religion in the Arab Spring: Analyzing participation, motives, root causes
2014 Princeton study, published in in the Journal of Politics, examining empirical evidence relating to why people participated in the Arab Spring.
Expert Commentary