Northern America

The UN-defined Northern America region includes the United States, Canada, as well as Greenland and a few additional nations.

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Criminal Justice Reform: A Case Against Overly Restrictive Sentencing Laws

11.18.24

Three times per week, Colin Fitzpatrick strides into his swampy backyard in Mobile, Alabama ready for a fight. He limbers up with some yoga, tapes his forearms like a boxer, and eyes his opponent. He hefts a sword. What he lacks in training, he makes up for with passion and energy. When he’s ready, he […]

Fairness and Justice

In Guantanamo, the Harris-Walz Ticket has the Opportunity to Promise Real Change

10.3.24

A potential Harris-Walz administration must make substantive commitments to address the harms of the War on Terror, beginning with human rights abuses committed in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.

Human Rights

America in the Age of Polarization: What does the 2024 Shake-Up Mean for America’s Divide?

08.4.24

This is the second article in the series “America in the Age of Polarization”, where Emil Bender Lassen drives 9,000 miles around the US to speak to journalists, researchers and voters on an election that threatens to further divide the country. He hopes to better understand the rising trend in polarization, how it impacts the role of journalists – and maybe even uncover ways the trend could be reversed.

Democracy and Governance

America in the Age of Polarization: Dems Scramble and Journalists Reflect after a Chaotic Debate

07.15.24

This is the first article in the series “America in the Age of Polarization”, where Emil Bender Lassen (MPP ’25) drives 9,000 miles around the US to interview journalists, researchers and voters on the election that threatens to further divide this country. He hopes to better understand the rising trend in polarization, how it impacts the role of journalists – and maybe even uncover some ways this trend could be reversed.

Democracy and Governance

Why the Environmental Movement Needs Its 1619 Project: A Case for a Human-Centered Approach to Saving the Planet

05.8.24

Proposed government solutions to mitigating the effects of climate change have systematically excluded the people it effects the most. A solution that centers climate changes’ effect on people must better acknowledge the historical harm that has been done for real restoration to occur.

Advocacy and Social Movements

Steering the AI Transition: The Case for More Employee Ownership

05.8.24

If you google “AI” in the news these days, it is hard to find a story that is not focused on existential risk of omnipotent AI fully erasing humanity. While I do not buy into the doomsayer’s worst-case scenarios, my experience as an AI advisor to business executives and policy makers tells me this time is different.

Business and Regulation

Bankrolling Change in Massachusetts Schools: A Pathway to LGBTQ+ Inclusion

04.29.24

Blue states like Massachusetts are particularly well-positioned to lead the charge in applying innovative and intensive strategies to protect, support, and nurture queer and marginalized youth.

Education, Training and Labor

Too Many Cooks in One Kitchen? The Question of US State Regulation over the Crypto Market

04.25.24

With the US Congress unable to pass crypto legislation, state regulators have been taking over the field. As a result, there are discrepancies and differences among US states, negatively impacting consumers and companies. Within a global crypto market, multiple states regulating in the absence of singular, Congressional action is hurting both consumers and businesses.

Business and Regulation

Making a Case for the Right to Preschool

04.23.24

High-quality early childhood education has life-long academic, developmental, and social impacts, but access to early childhood education differs substantially for children from different backgrounds. This disparity poses a complex issue: do children have a right to publicly funded preschool?

Education, Training and Labor

The State of Value-Based Care and Its Potential Effect on Maternal Health Disparities

04.9.24

The U.S. faces a maternal mortality crisis, particularly for women of color. We must take the tools and programs we know work, and broaden them to reach all women in need.

Healthcare

Duty and Liability: A Case for Preserving Qualified Immunity

04.9.24

While qualified immunity is invoked sparingly, its existence provides breathing room for public officials, particularly law enforcement officers to do their jobs effectively.

Fairness and Justice

Reviving Comstock: Unveiling the Anti-Abortion Strategy in Post-Roe America

04.8.24

The Comstock Act is a significant impediment to reproductive freedom and access to safe, effective abortions. Pro-choice stakeholders must recognize the urgency of addressing this outdated legislation that uses 1800s social standards to regulate the bodies of people in 2024.

Advocacy and Social Movements

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