Poverty may kickstart the next pandemic

Although many new diseases originate in animal populations, a new study suggests it's human behavior that enables outbreaks to spread.

Leigh Hataway U. Georgia • futurity
June 23, 2025 • ~5 min

There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill

Past experience suggests that adding work requirements to Medicaid will strip health services from millions of American without increasing employment.

Colin Gordon, Professor of History, University of Iowa • conversation
May 29, 2025 • ~10 min

Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe

New research shows that Americans’ personal wealth is not enough to compensate for factors that affect how long people live, such as health behaviors, education or social support.

Irene N. Papanicolas, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University • conversation
April 9, 2025 • ~5 min

Energy bills and debt are rising yet again – here are three things that would help vulnerable households

Benefits and pensions are increasing at much lower rates, hitting low-income households hardest.

Elaine Robinson, Research Associate, Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University • conversation
March 27, 2025 • ~7 min

A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

Left out of FDR’s New Deal, the health insurance program for the poor was finally established in 1965.

Ben Zdencanovic, Postdoctoral Associate in History and Policy, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
March 18, 2025 • ~11 min

The UK’s food system is broken. A green new deal for agriculture could be revolutionary

A transition from animal proteins to more plant products could help with the food crisis while offering farmers a more sustainable income.

Benjamin Selwyn, Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex • conversation
Feb. 28, 2025 • ~8 min

In many of Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas, residents have little choice but rebuild in risky locations

The latest floods exposed the deep vulnerability of many mountain communities in eastern Kentucky, where land ownership patterns and other barriers to recovery can leave residents with few options.

Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State • conversation
Feb. 26, 2025 • ~13 min

Why people rebuild in Appalachia’s flood-ravaged areas despite the risks

The latest floods exposed the deep vulnerability of many mountain communities in eastern Kentucky, where land ownership patterns and other barriers to recovery can leave residents with few options.

Kristina P. Brant, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State • conversation
Feb. 26, 2025 • ~13 min

Study in India shows kids use different math skills at work vs. school

Students can excel at mental math in marketplace jobs but struggle with formal math in the classroom, and vice versa.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News • mit
Feb. 5, 2025 • ~9 min

Why government can’t make America ‘healthier’ by micromanaging groceries purchased with SNAP benefits

Maintaining a good diet is not cheap or straightforward, especially on a low income.

Danielle Krobath, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of South Carolina • conversation
Jan. 27, 2025 • ~9 min

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