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Political Science

Partisanship and the pandemic
Six people sit socially distanced in folding camping chairs in a public park

A socially distanced get-together during the coronavirus pandemic.

Partisanship and the pandemic

Partisanship, not health concerns, is the main driver of whether Americans are social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study.

Kristen de Groot

Pompeo chooses Philadelphia to release controversial report, violating city rules on indoor gatherings

Pompeo chooses Philadelphia to release controversial report, violating city rules on indoor gatherings

Sarah Paoletti of the Law School spoke about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to release a draft report on Americans’ rights to property and religious liberty from a group of conservative academics and theologians at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center last week. “There is an entire cadre of staff and department within the Department of State that covers democracy, human rights, and labor, and those are not the folks who were tapped to look at this,” she said.

Understanding infrastructure
Pedestrians lounging around a city filled with bicycles, cars, and airplanes

Understanding infrastructure

In the second episode of Penn Today’s “Understand This ...” podcast series, emphasizing interdisciplinary perspectives, a Wharton and Weitzman School discuss the past, present, and future of infrastructure.
How a VP with law enforcement experience could help Biden win over moderate voters

How a VP with law enforcement experience could help Biden win over moderate voters

Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences said the compromises U.S. Rep. Val Demings and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, both candidates on Joseph Biden’s shortlist of running mates, made in their careers as Black women in law enforcement make it harder for them to call themselves true reformers now. “If you’re Black, you have to do certain things in order to get ahead—in order for people in power to trust you and give you responsibility,” said Berry.

Brazil’s coronavirus crisis
People wearing face masks chat on the street in Olinda, Brazil

From Operação contra novo Coronavírus, Olinda, Brazil, May 20, 2020. (Image: Alice Mafra)

Brazil’s coronavirus crisis

Brazil has become one of the world’s deadliest hotspots for the novel coronavirus, second only to the United States in deaths and infections. Melissa Teixeira, a historian of modern Brazil, shares her thoughts on the nation’s response and challenges it faces in battling the virus.

Kristen de Groot

Our study found little evidence that Twitter is biased against conservative opinion leaders

Our study found little evidence that Twitter is biased against conservative opinion leaders

Research by Subhayan Mukerjee and Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication and a National University of Singapore colleague found that Twitter’s political content does not skew to the left overall. “Twitter is a remarkably centrist platform. The loudest voices on Twitter are those who hold moderate positions,” they wrote.

Do long waiting times for voting put democracy on the line?
line of people at a polling place with a sign out front reading VOTE HERE/VOTE AQUI and also in Mandarin and Cantonese.

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Do long waiting times for voting put democracy on the line?

Gerard Cachon’s research looks at whether the length of voting time affects the effective exercise of democratic rights, and if the relationship between resource disparity and voting behavior depends on the racial composition of voters or party affiliation.

From Knowledge at Wharton

Coding for a cause
Satellite image of Earth highlighting border in different colors. This satellite image created by the Borders and Boundaries Project uses different colors to highlight the intensity of the official state presence along borders.

Coding for a cause

As the viral pandemic shuttered campus and disrupted routines, The Borders and Boundaries Project turned the challenging situation into a chance to give back and get work done.

Kristen de Groot