Nations like Brazil and India are refusing to take sides between the US and China, instead putting their own interests first in foreign policy. The author of “The Non-Aligned World” explains why nations are increasingly “playing the field.”
The Conversation
Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march
Five years after first putting forward the notion of ‘active nonalignment,’ former Chilean ambassador Jorge Heine returns to the subject.
Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of grassroots activists are at the mercy of capricious courts - some face life terms for insulting the king
The Conversation
Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office. Meanwhile, leading activists languish behind bars on ‘lèse majesté’ off...
Seattle voters recently approved a 5% payroll tax on high incomes to fund social housing, aiming to build permanently affordable homes for a range of incomes. The initiative could generate $52 million annually for the new Seattle Social Housing program.
The Conversation
From Seattle to Atlanta, new social housing programs seek to make homes permanently affordable for a range of incomes
Americans are realizing that the country’s two-tiered system of market-rate housing and government-operated, low-income housing isn’t doing the...
Pre-bunking, a method akin to vaccination, trains people to spot and resist #misinformation. A behavioral scientist explains why group-based approaches may be key to maintaining resistance over time:
The Conversation
Misinformation lends itself to social contagion – here’s how to recognize and combat it
Mass psychogenic illness has happened throughout history, but social media makes it more likely to spread.
 @psychology group
Techno-autocrats are reshaping government by using AI, surveillance and social media to censor dissent, spread propaganda and undermine democracy. From China to Russia, and now Silicon Valley, the threat is global, according to a political scientist who researches technology and democracy:
The Conversation
Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed
Social media design influences human behavior, and the Big Tech platforms use it to boost profits – and their owners’ political agendas. Some s...
Despite having just 4% of the world’s population, the U.S. has won over half of all science Nobel Prizes since 2000. This success depends on a “brain gain.” Nearly half of U.S. doctorate-level scientists and engineers were born abroad.
The Conversation
Turbulent research landscape imperils US brain gain − and ultimately American prosperity
Many of the world’s best and brightest STEM researchers have long moved to the US. But now that brain gain is at risk of reversing to become a br...
Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed
The Conversation
Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed
Social media design influences human behavior, and the Big Tech platforms use it to boost profits – and their owners’ political agendas. Some s...
‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food
The Conversation
‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food
Work requirements will expand and exemptions from them will recede. How much states have to pay will be tied to the prevalence of mistakes, not fraud.
Trump’s new budget law cuts SNAP by $186B over the next decade — shrinking food aid for millions. The law shifts costs to states, expands work requirements, and limits waivers, making it harder for low-income Americans to qualify for help buying groceries. Here's a quick explainer showing what's changing specifically ⬇️
The Conversation
‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food
Work requirements will expand and exemptions from them will recede. How much states have to pay will be tied to the prevalence of mistakes, not fraud.
Disinformation spreads not because it’s true, but because it tells a good story.
The Conversation
Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns
Disinformation campaigns are using AI to tell false but compelling stories. AI tools are also helping counter the campaigns by detecting incongruit...