Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

Memphis, Baltimore, and Detroit. East Cleveland, Ohio, and Wilkinson, Pennsylvania. Black cities are on the rise. In 1970, Black people made up a majority of 460 cities and towns across the United States. Forty-seven years later, the number of majority Black municipalities is up to 1,262. Dr. Andre Perry discusses what is driving this increase, why black cities and black neighborhoods have been devalued, and how America can do right by these places.

Climate change is threatening our world and often it seems like little is happening on a policy level to address this impending crisis. But, in 2008, a group of states in the Northeast managed what seemed nearly impossible. They put in place a robust, multi-state system to put a price on carbon. Professor Leigh Raymond explains how they were able to overcome obstacles that have doomed so much other climate policy, how exactly this system works, and what lessons can be learned for other climate proposals.

For many people, regular visits to the dentist are little more than a necessary inconvenience. But in lower-income communities, access to dental care can be all but nonexistent - with serious consequences for public health. Professor Donald Chi lays out how a single childhood cavity can lead to a lifetime of problems, why so many people struggle to access even basic dental care, and what policymakers can do to provide every American with the coverage they need.

Back-to-school season is upon us, and back as well are some familiar debates. From charter schools to voucher programs, education in America is becoming more privatized than ever - and some communities are pushing back. Professor Janelle Scott reveals why so many schools are shifting toward privatization, why these reforms are so controversial, and what they mean for inequality in America’s education system.

Imagine a nation where the political rules for two parties are unfair. The Big Country party has its strengthen in rural areas and wins if they earn 46 percent of the vote. The other party, the party of the city people, needs to earn about 54 percent. As it turns out, this is not an imaginary nation at all, it’s the US. Professor Jonathan Rodden dives into why cities lose when it comes to elections, what that means for our political system, and what can be done to change the situation.

El Paso, Texas. Dayton, Ohio. These two cities are the latest in a long string of communities that have experienced horrific mass shootings. And once again, the news of these shootings bring up many questions. Dr. Sierra Smucker lays out what we know about mass shooters and the connection to domestic violence, what gun regulations are already on the books and whether or not they seem to be effective, and what more can be done to prevent future shootings. 

The US Congress is a bedrock of American democracy, but as it stands, it often seems to be stuck in the dark ages. With more and more technology emerging to help connect people, ideas, and information across the country, Congress often still works as if the internet didn’t exist. Dr. Lorelei Kelly dives into the problems facing Congress, what it takes to bring this institution into the 21st century, and how a few members are leading the way.

Around five years ago, Ferguson, Missouri erupted in violent protests after the fatal police shooting of teenager Michael Brown. The Ferguson protests were part of a wave of protests nationwide spurred by police shootings of unarmed black men. In this archive episode, Professor Ashley Howard explains what these protests mean, what their history is, and how new laws, policing methods, and social media are changing the way people demonstrate.

At the beginning of his campaign for president, Donald Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants coming to the US and since then, immigration has been a centerpiece of his administration. But to say that America’s immigration debate started with Donald Trump is simply not true. Professor James Hollifield highlights the long history of immigration policy in this country and argues that the conversation won’t be going away any time soon, no matter what happens in 2020.

When the 2016 Academy Award acting nominations all went to white performers for the second consecutive year, a trending hashtag - #OscarsSoWhite - swept Twitter. But in the span of just a few years, things seem to have changed. Professor Nancy Yuen explains the state of diversity in Hollywood, what challenges persist today, and how to reform the industry.

When politicians run for local office, they try to appeal to lots of different kinds of voters. And one way they do this is by collecting endorsements from public figures and organizations those voters trust. But does that actually influence the way people vote? Professor Andrea Benjamin explores the role of endorsements in local elections, how race plays into the equation, and what this means for campaigns both big and small.

The CIA has become an almost mythical government agency, viewed as full of super spies who carry out the US government’s wishes across the globe. And perhaps one of the most infamous of these accounts is the CIA’s supposed orchestration of the 1973 coup in Chile. But Professor James Lockhart’s new research casts doubt on this common narrative. He digs into the CIA’s actual influence in Chile, why this narrative has become so ingrained, and what it all means for the US today.

In 1890, the Supreme Court called solitary confinement “barbaric,” speculating that it would be abandoned altogether as a correctional practice. But now, nearly 130 years later, it’s clear that their prediction couldn’t have been more wrong. Professor Keramet Reiter tells the story of how solitary confinement became so widespread in the US, what this practice means for prisoners, and what can be done to change the system.

This week, we’re bringing you an episode from Big Brains, a podcast produced at The University of Chicago. Big Brains tells the stories behind the pivotal research and pioneering breakthroughs reshaping our world. They cover everything from the hidden dangers of artificial intelligence to the discovery of gravitational waves. This episode features Professor Eric Oliver on the science of conspiracy theories and political polarization.

When elected officials redraw districts in their own party’s favor, the impact can be enormous. This practice - known as gerrymandering - is one of the most hotly debated in American politics right now, and it’s one the Supreme Court will soon weigh in on. Dr. Peter Miller lays out the legal cases surrounding gerrymandering, what these decisions might mean for future elections, and what else can be done to get states to draw maps in ways that are not politically motivated.