Public Policy

Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs to launch New Jersey public policy initiative
April 25, 2023
Author
Written by Tom Durso, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs will launch its SPIA in New Jersey initiative with a half-day of presentations and panel discussions the morning of Friday, April 28. The event begins at…

Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond urges individuals to commit to abolishing poverty
April 11, 2023
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Written by Daniel Day, Office of Communications

In the prologue to his latest book, Matthew Desmond bluntly assesses who we are in the United States, “the richest country on earth, with more poverty than any other advanced democracy.”

Desmond, the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton, notes in “Poverty, by…

Tax economist Zidar says it’s his job to give you the best numbers, not the convenient ones
Nov. 4, 2022
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Written by Delaney Parrish, Department of Economics

For those of us who are not counted among the wealthiest 1% of Americans, it can be difficult to understand how much money these individuals have — or how they got it. As recently as a few years ago, that information would have been unavailable not only to the average American, but to government agencies, researchers and anyone else who cared…

In her new book, Ruha Benjamin finds hope by celebrating how small changes can ‘spread justice and joy’
Oct. 11, 2022
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Written by Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications

In spring 2020, Ruha Benjamin received a DM on Twitter from her literary agent Sarah Levitt: “I’m hungry to read anything you have.” Inspired, Benjamin began writing and spent the first few months of the pandemic conceiving what would become her new book, “Viral Justice” (Princeton University Press).

In the book’s introduction, Benjamin…

Ben Bernanke, former Princeton professor and economics department chair, receives Nobel Prize in economic sciences
Oct. 10, 2022
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Written by Denise Valenti, Office of Communications

Ben Bernanke, a Princeton professor of economics and public affairs from 1985 to 2002, chairman of the economics department from 1996 to 2002, and founder of the Bendheim Center for Finance, is among three winners sharing this year’s Nobel Prize in economic sciences.

The Royal Swedish Academy of…

As FDA considers menthol cigarette ban, Princeton historian traces Big Tobacco’s race-based marketing
Sept. 7, 2022
Author
Written by Office of Communications

Half a century ago, faced with broadcast advertising bans stemming from overwhelming evidence of the harms of smoking, the tobacco industry used menthol cigarettes to secure new markets among Black Americans in urban areas.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is

Princeton biologist Bryan Grenfell wins Kyoto Prize
June 22, 2022
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Written by Liz Fuller-Wright, Office of Communications

Princeton University’s Bryan Grenfell, the Kathryn Briger and Sarah Fenton Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs, is one of three recipients of the Kyoto Prize in 2022. He won the basic…

How restoring abandoned farms to natural habitats can mitigate climate change
June 9, 2022

The Institute Woods near Princeton University’s campus comprises 589 acres of serene walking trails and a wooden footbridge enjoyed by hikers, runners, and birdwatchers. Like many forests in New Jersey, this local landmark was a patchwork of farm fields and orchards as recently as 1940 — before regrowing into the verdant escape seen today.

A Princeton-Microsoft project is tracing the digital fingerprints of disinformation
April 1, 2022
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Written by Daniel Day for Princeton Research/CEFR

As the 2018 U.S. mid-term elections approached, a group of Princeton alumni military veterans pitched an idea to the School of Public and International Affairs to host a conference on national security.

With reports of foreign interference during the 2016 presidential election campaign still circulating in the media and in political…

Venture Forward gift launches initiative on blockchain and decentralization of power
March 10, 2022
Author
Written by by Advancement Communications

Princeton University is launching an initiative on blockchain and its potential to disrupt and redistribute power in society. Supported by four alumni in a combined major gift to Princeton’s Venture Forward campaign, the initiative will convene scholars across disciplines to better understand the potential benefits and pitfalls of the…