Politics and Government

“National crises, from wars to depressions, have nearly always required big deficit spending. But in many countries, including the United States, for the last half-century public debt didn’t get paid down during times of peace and prosperity. Economists and politicians argue about whether this leads to higher inflation, interest rates or capital flight. That debate ignores a truly dangerous consequence of high public debt: It undermines trust in government,” writes Edgar Kiser, professor emeritus of sociology at the UW, about the growth in public debt due to COVID-19 spending.

“The celebration of Trump at CPAC was also a eulogy to Rush Limbaugh. No one, after all, did more to give birth to the movement that the ex-president claims as his own,” writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.

“The current system of [legal] fines and fees has created an albatross around the necks of the state’s lowest income residents,” writes columnist Naomi Ishisaka. UW sociology professor Alexes Harris is quoted.

The nation’s first motto was “E pluribus unum.” What does that mean? Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate banking committee on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the economy is “a long way from the Fed’s employment and inflation goals.” As Congress debates the next round of coronavirus relief funding, some prominent economists have raised concerns about its potential impact on inflation. Fabio Ghironi, professor of economics at the UW, is interviewed.

A study by Adrian Raftery, statistics professor, is cited in this article about how much global emissions must fall to halt climate change.

“In practice, monetary sanctions have emerged as a ‘predatory’ punishment imposed by the criminal legal system with a varied set of penological aims to punish, generate local and state revenue, and expand social control,” writes UW sociology Professor Alexes Harris.

One and done. That’s been the story of late when it comes to the number of terms Seattle mayors serve. Seattle Met asked three experts, including UW history professor Margaret O’Mara, to offer their takes.

Dig a little, and Seattle’s scrubby past inevitably pops up. We might be all high-tech now, all digital wizards, but back there are the city’s ancestors. They could be rough. Really rough. John Findlay, professor emeritus of history at the UW, is referenced.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains why the United States will need to expand its transmission capacity.

A nationwide study is delving deep into the beliefs and attitudes of self-described Trump supporters. Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW, and his team surveyed hundreds of people in the Make America Great Again movement, both before and after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Science Friday producer Christie Taylor talks to legal scholar Veena Dubal, and Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, about a rise in union activity, and the way tech companies have impacted our lives — not just for their customers, but also for their workers.

Mary Callahan, associate professor of international studies at the UW, says that there hasn’t been significant opposition to military leadership in Myanmar within the officer ranks in 50 years. [This is an NPR broadcast on KUOW]

A new study says that carbon emission cuts need to be about 80% more ambitious to stay below 2 degrees Celsius global warming — considered a threshold for climate stability and climate-related risks such as excessive heat, drought, extreme weather and sea level rise. The UW's Adrian Raftery, a professor of statistics, and Pieran Lu, a doctoral student in statistics, are quoted.

Homeland Security agents transferred ancient coins seized at the Canadian border to the University of Washington on Thursday. UW classics professor Sarah Stroup and Sandra Kroupa, UW Libraries’ book arts and rare books curator, are interviewed.