social policy

BY ADRIENNE MURPHY Anyone who follows recent political news knows that Texans like to talk. First, there was the stylish, hot-pink Mizuno sporting Wendy Davis and her fervent defense of abortion rights. Then came the fiery, Dr. Seuss-quoting Ted Cruz and his passionate opposition to Obamacare. Thirty-two hours and hundreds of thousands of words later, […]

  BY EMILY FRANCIS HARTMANN Federal health insurance exchanges (also known as insurance marketplaces) are off to a slow start. As we await the first official enrollment figures in mid-November, however, it is important to recognize that a slow start is not a surprise. Most of those who have been forecasting exchange enrollment over the […]

Note: This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Read Brian’s first post here. Photo credit: Michael S. Williamson (source here). BY BRIAN CHIGLINSKY Yesterday, we introduced the concept of the Great Decoupling – the idea that middle class income growth is no longer connected to the growth of the broader American economy. Today, we look […]

BY KARLY SCHLEDWITZ With a historic overhaul of our health care system underway, I felt like a good public policy student should understand the basics of American health policy. Dutifully, I enrolled in “Introduction to U.S. Health Policy,” a semester-long course co-taught by Sheila Burke and Richard Frank. I knew there would be new vocabulary […]

BY BRIAN CHIGLINSKY On the bright, sunny morning of Thursday, July 28, 2012, a group of reporters and interns could be seen in their best work outfits and most comfortable running shoes sprinting out of the regal, marble halls of the Supreme Court to the legions of cameras situated just beyond the front steps. In […]

BY TRACEY L. STARK We could end the tragedy of divorce in one fell swoop. Nearly half of marriages in the United States end in divorce. All divorces are the result of marriage. End marriage; end divorce. Marriage is a health hazard. Married people are twice as likely to become obese as single couples. No […]