
Will Russia invade Ukraine?
Randall Stone, a professor of political science and director of the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, says Putin “has set a trap for himself.”

Pro-White hiring bias for NFL head coaches, analysis finds
Writing in the Washington Post, Rochester political scientist Bethany Lacina shows the degree to which Black coaches are underrepresented in the NFL.

Brain-based arguments to reduce child poverty miss the point
In a Washington Post op-ed, Rochester professor Mical Raz outlines the pitfalls of using babies’ brain function and biology to inform anti-poverty family policies.

Who fared better during Covid: those living with or without family?
A study led by researchers at the University of Toronto and coauthored by Rochester’s Bonne Le, showed that people who lived with family during COVID-19 had better mental health outcomes than people living alone.

Laura Ackerman Smoller named a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America
The Rochester historian also wins a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to write her third book.

One year on, Republicans still don’t consider Biden the rightful winner
In their latest survey, Rochester political scientists in the Bright Line Watch watchdog group find divisions along partisan lines have notably deepened, and voters’ confidence in next year’s midterm elections has already been affected.

Why don’t all politicians resort to antidemocratic tactics to stay in power?
A Rochester team of political scientists introduces the idea of ‘democracy by deterrence’—and shows why it might be weakening in the United States.

Are political parties getting in the way of our well-being?
On the contrary, a historical state-level analysis links party competition to increased public investment and greater social well-being.

Can appearing less educated help right-leaning candidates win votes from the poor?
Right-wing candidates in Brazil rely successfully on “descriptive representation” to win elections, according to Rochester political scientists.

Stress response doesn’t have to be bad. Here’s how to reframe it.
Rochester psychologists find that college students who reinterpret their stress response as performance-enhancing are less anxious and generally healthier.