Author: TheConversation

Persistent Poverty: Our child welfare system is falling short of meeting needs due to overwhelming demand

Persistent Poverty: Our child welfare system is falling short of meeting needs due to overwhelming demand

Posted by | Jun 1, 2022

By Astraea Augsberger, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Boston University; Mary Elizabeth Collins, Professor of Social Welfare Policy, Boston University Although government spending on the child welfare system totaled US$33 billion in 2018, the most recent year for which an estimate is available, it is still failing to meet all children’s needs because of overwhelming demand. Abuse and neglect investigations, foster care and the other activities and services that comprise the child welfare system can harm children and the rest of their families. Communities of color are the most susceptible to this damage: 37% of all children – including...

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Left Behind: Why White Conservative Christians view the Democratic Party in terms of Apocalyptic Politics

Left Behind: Why White Conservative Christians view the Democratic Party in terms of Apocalyptic Politics

Posted by | May 28, 2022

By Christopher Douglas, Professor of American Literature and Religion, University of Victoria In the United States, a “demoncrat” is an occasional slur among conservatives for a Democratic Party politician or voter, implying that the party is, well, demonic. While demoncrat is not quite popular usage, the concept, it turns out, is widespread. A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute indicates that 18 per cent of Americans believe that the “government, media and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.” Similar numbers believe “a storm...

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A pariah state: Approach to isolate and contain Russia follows strategy long used against Soviet Union

A pariah state: Approach to isolate and contain Russia follows strategy long used against Soviet Union

Posted by | May 24, 2022

By Alastair Kocho-Williams, Professor of History, Clarkson University The U.S. and its European allies recently said they planned to take a new approach in their relations with Russia: They would isolate and contain the country in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine. Doing so would keep Russia out of international organizations, restrict imports and exports, and prevent further military moves, ultimately weakening it. This treatment of Russia is nothing new for Western countries. While Russia is more economically and politically isolated now than it has ever been, it is no stranger to isolation and containment. Looking back over...

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Bogus Holy Wars: What a cathedral dedicated brutal authoritarianism symbolizes about Putin’s Russia

Bogus Holy Wars: What a cathedral dedicated brutal authoritarianism symbolizes about Putin’s Russia

Posted by | May 24, 2022

By Lena Surzhko Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State May 9, 2022, marked the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Victory Day has traditionally been a day to honor veterans and hold an enormous parade in Moscow to display the country’s military prowess. Under President Vladimir Putin, May 9 has become one of Russia’s most revered holidays. Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov has described it as the “holiest holiday in our country. It has been and will remain the holiest holiday for all Russians,” according to the Defence Blog. Many scholars have researched how...

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From oil embargoes to gas cutoffs: Why Putin’s weaponization of energy resources could backfire

From oil embargoes to gas cutoffs: Why Putin’s weaponization of energy resources could backfire

Posted by | May 23, 2022

By Michael E. Webber, Josey Centennial Professor of Energy Resources, University of Texas at Austin In December 2006, “The Economist” magazine published a cover drawing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, dressed like a 1930s gangster in a dark suit and fedora hat, under the headline “Don’t Mess with Russia.” Putin held a gasoline nozzle, gripping it like a machine gun. The target presumably was Europe, which relied heavily on Russia for oil and natural gas. The cover story’s subheading asserted, “Russia’s habitual abuse of its energy muscle is bad for its citizens, its neighborhood and the world.” Today that...

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The Great Resignation: Multinationals are leaving Russia faster than they did Apartheid-era South Africa

The Great Resignation: Multinationals are leaving Russia faster than they did Apartheid-era South Africa

Posted by | May 23, 2022

By Steven Kreft, Clinical Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, Indiana University; and Elham Mafi-Kreft, Clinical Associate Professor of Business Economics, Indiana University Companies across the globe are fleeing Russia in an unprecedented display of corporate solidarity with their governments, appalled over the invasion of Ukraine. Over 750 multinational businesses so far have said they are curtailing, suspending or severing ties to Russia, more than triple the number that abandoned South Africa over apartheid in the 1980s. Many corporate statements announcing the decisions have emphasized humanitarian aspects and unity with the Ukrainian people. For example, Pepsi suspended soda...

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