Is the Podcast Boom Over?

By Justin Kempf Is the Podcast Boom Over? This week NPR announced it would cancel four podcasts. They included Invisibilia, Rough Translation, Louder than a Riot, and Everyone and their Mom. This is the latest in a round of layoffs that have affected the larger podcast industry. Indeed, many already believe the podcast boom is over. Last month The New... Continue Reading →

Famine in Somalia

By Justin Kempf A Famine in Somalia I am well aware the United Nations describes the catastrophe in Somalia as a drought rather than a famine. While the semantics might have legal implications, they do not bring much comfort to the families who suffer immeasurable loss. Last year alone 43,000 people died from hunger in... Continue Reading →

The Causes of Border Hardening in the Global South

By Christopher Blair An Emerging Trend International borders are hardening around the world. Since 2001, more than 60 new borders have been fortified. Walls and fences are the most prominent manifestation of this trend. As of 2020, nearly 40% of all countries had walled their international borders to some extent. Media and scholarly attention have... Continue Reading →

Has Democracy Regressed Back to 1986?

By Justin Kempf Democracy Regressed Back to 1986? The recent report from the Varieties of Democracy made a stir with some of its headline findings. Perhaps the most controversial is their finding that global democracy has regressed back to the same level as 1986 for the average citizen. It raised many eyebrows, because this sets... Continue Reading →

By the Court: Reducing Politics in the Judiciary

By Kevin Frazier The Politics of the Judiciary What question should voters answer when evaluating whether to retain a justice on their state’s court of last resort? Some voters may ask whether the justice’s individual decisions align with their own policy preferences. Other voters—in fact, likely a majority of voters—will simply ask whether the justice... Continue Reading →

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