This Week in Sociological Perspective

This week we discuss a woman in England who uses her drone in service to others. And, I recently spoke with Professor Scott Duxbury of the University of North Carolina about his recent paper titled “The Boys in Blue Are Watching You: The Shifting Metropolitan Landscape and Big Data Police Surveillance in the United States.” The paper is to be published in Social Problems, and is co-authored by Nafeesa Andrabi. Segment 1 -- Scott Duxbury on “The Boys in Blue Are Watching You: The Shifting Metropolitan Landscape and Big Data Police Surveillance in the United States” Segment 2 -- A generous dog-lover uses her drone to help rescue lost dogs for free

This week we discuss the insertion of a new player in the fight to reform policing in the United States. And, I recently spoke with Dr. Robert Bozick, Director of the Houston Population Research Center of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, about his recent paper titled “An increasing disinterest in fatherhood among childless men in the United States: A brief report.” The paper is to be published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Robert Bozick on “An increasing disinterest in fatherhood among childless men in the United States: A brief report.” Segment 2 -- Insurer's financial hammer and motivating police departments to reform

This week we discuss results from the natural experiment of COVID-era remote instruction for 9 year olds. But first, I recently spoke with Professor Carly Knight of New York University about her recent paper titled “Classifying the corporation: the role of naturalizing analogies in American corporate development, 1870–1930.” The paper is to be published in the Socio-Economic Review and is sole-authored. Segment 1 – Carly Knight on “Classifying the corporation: the role of naturalizing analogies in American corporate development, 1870–1930” Segment 2 – The COVID-era natural experiment of remote instruction and what it tells us about schools

This week we discuss emerging controversy in how reporters cover wildfires. And, I recently spoke with Geoffrey Wodtke, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, about his recent paper titled “Toxic Neighborhoods: The Effects of Concentrated Poverty and Environmental Lead Contamination on Early Childhood Development.” The paper is to be published in Demography, and is co-authored by Sagi Ramaj, and Jared Schachner. Segment 1 -- Geoffrey Wodtke on “Toxic Neighborhoods: The Effects of Concentrated Poverty and Environmental Lead Contamination on Early Childhood Development” Segment 2 – Wildfire in personal and public perspective

This week we discuss citizen stakeouts of ballot drop-boxes. And, I recently spoke with Patrick Denice, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, about his recent paper titled “Spatial Mismatch and the Share of Black, Hispanic, and White Students Enrolled in Charter Schools.” The paper is to be published in Sociology of Education and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Patrick Denice on “Spatial Mismatch and the Share of Black, Hispanic, and White Students Enrolled in Charter Schools.” Segment 2 – Citizen Stakeouts of Ballot Drop-boxes

This week we discuss national implications of some of the characteristics advertised as amenities on Airbnb. But first, I recently spoke with Nicolo Pinchak of Ohio State University about his recent paper titled “Paws on the Street: Neighborhood-Level Concentration of Households with Dogs and Urban Crime.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces, and is co-authored by Christopher R. Browning, Bethany Boettner, Catherine A. Calder, Jake Tarrence. Segment 1 -- Nicolo Pinchak on “Paws on the Street: Neighborhood-Level Concentration of Households with Dogs and Urban Crime.” Segment 2 -- Airbnb and Collective Memory: Slave Cabins Rehabbed and Marketed as Luxury Accommodations of Southern Hospitality

This week we discuss social multipliers of an emerging threat to billions of people. But first, I recently spoke with Dr. Jacqui Frost, a postdoctoral scholar at Rice University who is moving soon to a faculty position at Purdue University, about her recent paper titled “Ritualizing Nonreligion: Cultivating Rational Rituals in Secular Spaces.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Jacqui Frost on “Ritualizing Nonreligion: Cultivating Rational Rituals in Secular Spaces” Segment 2 – Social multipliers of an emerging threat to billions

This week we discuss the industrialization of migration across the southern border of the United States. But first, I recently spoke with Niccolò Armandola of the University of Zurich about his recent paper titled “Rebel without a Cause: The Effects of Social Origins and Disposable Income on Rule Violations.” The paper is to be published in the European Sociological Review, and is co-authored by Alexander Ehlert and Heiko Rauhut. Segment 1 -- Niccolò Armandola on “Rebel without a Cause: The Effects of Social Origins and Disposable Income on Rule Violations.” Segment 2 – The Industrialization of Illegal Immigration: From Cottage Industry to Drug Cartel Monopoly?

On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court released several decisions, many of them major decisions in their domain and beyond. This week I spoke with Professor Mary Rose of the University of Texas-Austin about three of those Supreme Court decisions: Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, and Vega v. Tekoh. Professor Rose identifies important new directions these decisions signal, and reflects on the implications of these directions for the judges' reasoning, decision-making, and the exercise of rights. Single Segment -- Mary Rose on Dobbs, New York Rifle and Pistol Association, and Vega

This week we discuss the increasing trend of teachers leaving teaching. And, I recently spoke with Professor Joseph Dippong of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, about his recent paper titled “Vocal Accommodation and Perceptions of Speakers' Prestige and Dominance.” The paper is to be published in Social Psychology Quarterly, and is co-authored by Will Kalkhoff and Cayce Jamil. Segment 1 -- Joseph Dippong on “Vocal Accommodation and Perceptions of Speakers' Prestige and Dominance.” Segment 2 -- Teacher attrition in context, pre-COVID and now

This week we discuss efforts to determine what the next generation will learn. And, I recently spoke with Dr. Kyla Thomas of the Center for Economic and Social Research of the University of Southern California about her recent paper titled “The psychology of distinction: How cultural tastes shape perceptions of class and competence in the U.S.” The paper is to be published in Poetics, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Kyla Thomas on “The psychology of distinction: How cultural tastes shape perceptions of class and competence in the U.S.” Segment 2 -- Tiananmen Square and Tulsa, Oklahoma: Generational censorship in nations of power

This week we discuss the removal of the allegedly “last” public payphone in New York. But first, I recently spoke with Professor Emily Rauscher of Brown University, about her recent paper titled “Learning to Value Girls: Balanced Infant Sex Ratios at Higher Parental Education in the United States, 1969–2018.” The paper is to be published in Demography, and is co-authored by Haoming Song. Segment 1 -- Emily Rauscher on “Learning to Value Girls: Balanced Infant Sex Ratios at Higher Parental Education in the United States, 1969–2018.” Segment 2 -- As payphones give way to wi-fi hotspots and cellphone dependence, collective goods give way to private goods whose performance in emergencies remain uncertain at best

This week we discuss a spate of articles about COVID. And, I recently spoke with Professor Justine Tinkler of the University of Georgia about her recent paper titled “Sexual harassment training and men's motivation to work with women.” The paper is to be published in Social Science Research, and is co-authored by Jody Clay-Warner and Malissa Alinor. Segment 1 -- Justine Tinkler on “Sexual harassment training and men's motivation to work with women.” Segment 2 -- Sociological challenges in the COVID era

This week we discuss the Politico leak of a draft Supreme Court decision. But first, I recently spoke with Professor Kyle Siler of the Université de Montréal about his recent paper titled “Inequality Within omnivorous knowledge: Distribution of Jeopardy! geography questions, 1984-2020.” The paper is to be published in Poetics and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Kyle Siler on “Inequality Within omnivorous knowledge: Distribution of Jeopardy! geography questions, 1984-2020.” Segment 2 – Abortion and the Social Politics of Womanhood

This week we discuss a leaked document showing that Facebook is unable to comply with emerging laws on privacy. And, I recently spoke with Professor Camila Alvarez of the University of California-Merced about her recent paper titled “Analyzing the Military's Role in Producing Air Toxics Disparities in the United States: A Critical Environmental Justice Approach.” The paper is to be published in Social Problems, and is co-authored by Daniel A. Shtob and Nicholas G. Theis. Segment 1 -- Camila Alvarez on “Analyzing the Military's Role in Producing Air Toxics Disparities in the United States: A Critical Environmental Justice Approach.” Segment 2 – Facebook Can't Handle the Truth: Leaked document reveals Facebook doesn't know what it does with your data or where it goes

This week we discuss the repeal of mask mandates for airline travel and other public transit. And, I recently spoke with Reed DeAngelis, doctoral student at the University of North Carolina and the Carolina Population Center, about his recent paper titled “Moving on Up? Neighborhood Status and Racism-Related Distress among Black Americans.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Reed DeAngelis on “Moving on Up? Neighborhood Status and Racism-Related Distress among Black Americans.” Segment 2 -- Mask mandate repeal despite broad scientific and public support

This week we discuss lessons from “Pandemic Kids'” return to school. And, I speak with Hana Shepherd, Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, about her recent paper titled “Administering New Anti-Bullying Law: The Organizational Field and School Variation During Initial Implementation.” The paper is to be published in Law & Social Inquiry, and is co-authored by Idit Fast. Segment 1 -- Hana Shepherd on “Administering New Anti-Bullying Law: The Organizational Field and School Variation During Initial Implementation” Segment 2 -- Lessons from schools' response to Pandemic Kids' return to school

This week we discuss an amazing new finding from the study of Mars. But first, I recently spoke with Tyler Bruefach, doctoral candidate at Florida State University, about his recent paper titled “Social isolation and achievement of students with learning disabilities.” The paper is to be published in Social Science Research, and is co-authored by John R. Reynolds. Segment 1 – Tyler Bruefach on “Social isolation and achievement of students with learning disabilities” Segment 2 – Social implications of the speeds of sound

This week we discuss new efforts to alter the natural world to serve human desires and interests. And, I recently spoke with Professor Denis Trapido of the University of Washington-Bothell about his recent paper titled “The Female Penalty for Novelty and the Offsetting Effect of Alternate Status Characteristics.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Denis Trapido on “The Female Penalty for Novelty and the Offsetting Effect of Alternate Status Characteristics” Segment 2 -- Another effort to alter the natural world to serve human desires and interests

This week I talked with Professor Kathryn Freeman Anderson of the University of Houston, about the causes and implications of the slow return of passengers to public transportation in the wake of COVID. But first, I recently spoke with Professor Eunmi Mun of the University of Illinois, about her recent paper titled “Meritocracy at Work?: Merit-Based Reward Systems and Gender Wage Inequality.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces, and is co-authored by Naomi Kodama. Segment 1 – Professor Eunmi Mun on “Meritocracy at Work?: Merit-Based Reward Systems and GenderWage Inequality.” Segment 2 – Professor Kathryn Freeman Anderson on changes in public transportation use and policy post-COVID

This week we discuss parents' hiring of a private security firm to patrol a campus area neighborhood in Philadelphia. And, I speak with Professor Mike Vuolo of Ohio State University about his recent paper titled “Surveillance, Self-Governance, and Mortality: The Impact of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs on U.S. Overdose Mortality, 2000–2016." The paper is to be published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, and is co-authored by Laura C. Frizzell and Brian C. Kelly. Segment 1 – Mike Vuolo on “Surveillance, Self-Governance, and Mortality: The Impact of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs on U.S. Overdose Mortality, 2000–2016." Segment 2 – Private Patrolling, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty

This week we discuss some insights from World War II and the nuclear stand-off in its aftermath. And, I speak with Professor Daniel Karell of Yale University about his recent paper titled “Small town propaganda: The content and emotions of politicized digital local news in the United States.” The paper is to be published in Poetics, and is co-authored by Anjali Agrawal. Segment 1 – Daniel Karell on “Small town propaganda: The content and emotions of politicized digital local news in the United States.” Segment 2 -- Insights from World War II, other conflicts, and the nuclear stalement of the latter half of the 20th century.

This week we consider the Argus II retinal implant system as an example of orphan medical technology, and contrast its treatment with the responses to two other instances of orphan technology. But first, I recently spoke with Professor Colleen Heflin of Syracuse University about her recent paper titled “Exposure to Food Insecurity during Adolescence and Educational Attainment.” The paper is to be published in Social Problems and is co-authored by Rajeev Darolia and Sharon Kukla-Acevedo. Segment 1 -- Colleen Heflin on “Exposure to Food Insecurity during Adolescence and Educational Attainment.” Segment 2 -- Orphan medical technology: models of support and implications of abandonment

This week we discuss the start of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and the analogies some deploy to understand it. And, I speak with Professor Sylwia J. Piatkowska of Florida State University about her recent paper titled “Brexit, Terrorist Attacks, and Hate Crime: A Longitudinal Analysis.” The paper is to be published in Social Problems, and is co-authored by Brian J. Stults. Segment 1 -- Sylwia J. Piatkowska on “Brexit, Terrorist Attacks, and Hate Crime: A Longitudinal Analysis.” Segment 2 -- The Russian invasion of Ukraine in analogical perspective

This week we discuss the move of pro-genocide frameworks into the political mainstream in France. But first, I recently spoke with Chinyere Agbai, doctoral candidate in sociology at Brown University, about her recent paper titled “Shifting neighborhoods, shifting health: A longitudinal analysis of gentrification and health in Los Angeles County.” The paper is to be published in Social Science Research, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Chinyere Agbai on “Shifting neighborhoods, shifting health: A longitudinal analysis of gentrification and health in Los Angeles County” Segment 2 -- The mainstreaming of frameworks conducive to genocide

This week we take a look back at 2021, with Meredith Phillips, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Sociology, UCLA; and Mary Rose, Professor of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin.

This week we discuss the efforts of some anti-vaccination Facebook groups to avoid detection and removal. And, I recently spoke with Professor Megan Doherty Bea of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Professor Emily Taylor Poppe of the University of California-Irvine about their recent paper titled “Marginalized legal categories: Social inequality, family structure, and the laws of intestacy.” The paper is to be published in the Law and Society Review. Segment 1 -- Megan Doherty Bea and Emily Taylor Poppe on “Marginalized legal categories: Social inequality, family structure, and the laws of intestacy.” Segment 2 -- Individual and social conditions for the ascendance of opposition to vaccinations.

This week we discuss Britney Spears' conservatorship. And, I recently spoke with Professor Amy August of San José State University about her recent paper titled “Indirect Socialization in Preschool: How Teachers Harness Children's Ability to Shape Peer Behavior.” The paper is to be published in Qualitative Sociology, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Amy August on “Indirect Socialization in Preschool: How Teachers Harness Children's Ability to Shape Peer Behavior.” Segment 2 -- Conservatorships, involuntary confinement, autonomy, and civil liberties.

This week we discuss the drought in California's agricultural central valley. And, I recently spoke with Professor Kerry Ard of Ohio State University about her recent paper titled “Examining the Relationship Between Racialized Poverty Segregation and Hazardous Industrial Facilities in the U.S. Over Time.” The paper is to be published in American Behavioral Scientist and is co-authored by Kevin Smiley. Segment 1 – Kerry Ard on “Examining the Relationship Between Racialized Poverty Segregation and Hazardous Industrial Facilities in the U.S. Over Time.” Segment 2 -- A foreboding glimpse of climate dislocation in the U.S.: Drought, aquifer collapse, and farmer adjustments in California's Central Valley.

This week we juxtapose two recent federal legislative actions: one, the new federal Juneteenth holiday; the other, the heretofore failed effort to pass the “For the People” act. And, I recently spoke with Professor Benjamin Cornwell of Cornell University about his recent paper titled “Network Structure in Small Groups and Survival in Disasters.” The paper is to be published in Social Forces, and is co-authored by Jing-Mao Ho. Segment 1 -- Benjamin Cornwell on “Network Structure in Small Groups and Survival in Disasters.” Segment 2 -- The Juneteenth federal holiday, the For the People act, and congressional responses to recognition versus redistribution proposals.

This week we discuss journalists' efforts to unionize, multiple logics of practitioner organizing, and the contrasting responses of The New York Times and The Atlantic to the unionization efforts. But first, I recently spoke with Dr. Daniel Ramirez, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, about his recent paper titled “The Long Arm of Conflict: How Timing Shapes the Impact of Childhood Exposure to War.” The paper is to be published in Demography, and is co-authored by Steven Haas. Segment 1 -- Daniel Ramirez on “The Long Arm of Conflict: How Timing Shapes the Impact of Childhood Exposure to War.” Segment 2 -- Efforts to unionize and alternative logics of practitioner organizing.

This week I spoke with Dr. Christine Percheski, Associate Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University, about causes and implications of widespread declining birthrates. But first, I recently spoke with Dr. Judith Kas, postdoctoral researcher at the WZB Social Science Center in Berlin, about her recent paper titled “The role of reputation systems in digital discrimination.” The paper is scheduled to be published in the Socio-Economic Review, and is co-authored by Rense Corten and Arnout van de Rijt. Segment 1 -- Judith Kas on “The role of reputation systems in digital discrimination.” Segment 2 -- Christine Percheski on evidence, causes, and emergent questions of widespread fertility decline.

This week we discuss news reports of pets adopted during the pandemic being returned to shelters. And, I recently spoke with Professor David McElhattan of Purdue University about his recent paper titled “Punitive ambiguity: State-level criminal record data quality in the era of widespread background screening.” The paper is to be published in Punishment & Society, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- David McElhattan on “Punitive ambiguity: State-level criminal record data quality in the era of widespread background screening.” Segment 2 -- Affection or Abandonment? Predicament and Prospects for so-called Pandemic Pets.

This week we discuss an EU response to the German Green Party's proposal to tax kerosene, the basis of jet fuel. And, I recently spoke with Ms. Emily Handsman of Northwestern University about her recent paper titled “From Virtue to Grit: Changes in Character Education Narratives in the U.S. from 1985 to 2016.” The paper is to be published in Qualitative Sociology, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Emily Handsman on “From Virtue to Grit: Changes in Character Education Narratives in the U.S. from 1985 to 2016.” Segment 2 -- Radical frames, radical reality, and German Green Party environmental policy proposals.

This week we discuss survey evidence on Americans' response to the difficulties of 2020. And, I recently spoke with Dr. Yikang Bai of Washington State University, and Professor Jennifer Givens of the Utah State University, about their recent paper titled “Ecologically Unequal Exchange of Plastic Waste? A Longitudinal Analysis of International Trade in Plastic Waste.” The paper is to be published in the Journal of World Systems Research. Segment 1 -- Yikang Bai and Jennifer Givens on “Ecologically Unequal Exchange of Plastic Waste? A Longitudinal Analysis of International Trade in Plastic Waste” Segment 2 -- Americans' emotional response to the pandemic and other difficulties of 2020.

This week we discuss leftists' reluctance to return to normal as scientific knowledge about COVID, and the proportion of people vaccinated against COVID, both rise. And, I recently spoke with Professor Anne Groggel of North Central College about her recent paper titled “The Role of Place and Sociodemographic Characteristics on the Issuance of Temporary Civil Protection Orders.” The paper is to be published in Law & Society Review, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 -- Anne Groggel on “The Role of Place and Sociodemographic Characteristics on the Issuance of Temporary Civil Protection Orders.” Segment 2 – Leftists' reluctance to relax COVID protections as scientific knowledge about and vaccination incidence against COVID climb.

This week we discuss the recently released Census data on reapportionment. And, I recently spoke with Professor Sarah Lageson of Rutgers University about her recent paper titled “Digitizing and Disclosing Personal Data: The Proliferaton of State Criminal Records on the Internet.” The paper is to be published in Law and Social Inquiry, and is co-authored by Elizabeth Webster and Juan R. Sandoval. Segment 1 -- Sarah Lageson on “Digitizing and Disclosing Personal Data: The Proliferaton of State Criminal Records on the Internet.” Segment 2 -- Census data collection, statutory constraints, and ways to reduce Congressional under-representation.

This week we briefly juxtapose the original Minneapolis Police Department report on the death of George Floyd with the facts of the case we now know. Using a sociological lens, we consider how such a technically accurate, but fundamentally inaccurate report could be released–and what it says about the sources of organizational misconduct. And, I recently spoke with Dr. Eulalie Laschever of DePaul University about her recent paper titled “Growth and Decline of Opposing Movements: Gun Control and Gun Rights, 1945-2015.” The paper is to be published in the journal Mobilization, and is co-authored by David S. Meyer. Segment 1 -- Eulalie Laschever on “Growth and Decline of Opposing Movements: Gun Control and Gun Rights, 1945-2015.” Segment 2 -- How could the original Minneapolis Police Department report on the death George Floyd and the known facts of the case be so different? Answers why, with chilling implications

With reports that an Instagram for children is under development, we draw sociological insights on the move and the backlash. And, I speak with Professor Jacob Felson of William Patterson University about his recent paper titled “Online or in Person? Examining College Decisions to Reopen during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Fall 2020.” The paper is published in Socius, and is co-authored by Amy Adamczyk. Segment 1 – Jacob Felson on “Online or in Person? Examining College Decisions to Reopen during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Fall 2020.” Segment 2 – Instagram is developing a version for children, but some are pushing back against the initiative.

This week we discuss new estimates of the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine for young teenagers. And, I recently spoke with Professor Martha Copp of East Tennessee State University about her new paper titled “We've Come a Long Way, Guys! Rhetorics of Resistance to the Feminist Critique of Sexist Language.” The paper is to be published in Gender & Society, and is co-authored by Sherryl Kleinman and Kalah B. Wilson. Segment 1 -- Martha Copp on “We've Come a Long Way, Guys! Rhetorics of Resistance to the Feminist Critique of Sexist Language.” Segment 2 -- Structural zeros, sampling zeros, and the estimated efficacy of vaccines and other interventions.

This week we discuss the concept of cancel culture, in the context of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ recommendation to avoid the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. And, I recently spoke with Professor Pilar Gonalons-Pons of the University of Pennsylvania about her recent paper titled “Exit, voice, and loyalty in the family: findings from a basic income experiment.” The paper is to be published in the Socio-Economic Review, and is co-authored by David Calnitsky. Segment 1 – Pilar Gonalons-Pons on “Exit, voice, and loyalty in the family: findings from a basic income experiment.” Segment 2 – Cancel culture, excommunication, and capitalism

This week we discuss what appears to be a sad development for computing–Fry’s electronics has gone out of business. And, I recently spoke with Professor Sarah Font of Pennsylvania State University about her recent paper titled “The Scope, Nature, and Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect.” The paper was recently published in the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and is co-authored by Kathryn Maguire-Jack. Segment 1 -- Sarah Font on “The Scope, Nature, and Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect.” Segment 2 – Another retailer bites the dust: Social fallout from the closure of Fry’s electronics

This week we consider the justice implicated in a warning the National Basketball Association gave LeBron James for an on-court violation that the referee did not call. And, I recently spoke with Professor Mahesh Somashekhar of the University of Illinois at Chicago about his recent paper titled “Racial Inequality between Gentrifiers: How the Race of Gentrifiers Affects Retail Development in Gentrifying Neighborhoods.” The paper is to be published in City and Community, and is sole-authored. Segment 1 – Mahesh Somashekar on “Racial Inequality between Gentrifiers: How the Race of Gentrifiers Affects Retail Development in Gentrifying Neighborhoods.” Segment 2 – Tariff and Day-Fine Models of Justice

This week we discuss a hacker’s recent breach of a Florida town’s water supply. But first, as the Senate trial of impeached former President Donald Trump proceeds, some are suggesting that the nation has not been this polarized since the Civil War. Well, what does sociological research on political polarization say? I recently spoke with Austin Kozlowski, doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago, about his recent paper titled “Issue alignment and partisanship in the American public: Revisiting the ‘partisans without constraint’ thesis.” The paper is to be published in Social Science Research, and is co-authored by James P. Murphy. Segment 1 -- Austin Kozlowski on “Issue alignment and partisanship in the American public: Revisiting the ‘partisans without constraint’ thesis.” Segment 2-- State capacity, framing, political will, and water supply protection.

This week we discuss the grassroots effort to add bike lanes to LEGO modules, and we mark the passing of a giant in the field of sociology. And, I recently spoke with Professor Michael Light of the University of Wisconsin-Madison about his recent paper titled “Undocumented immigration and terrorism: Is there a connection?” The paper is to be published in Social Science Research, and is co-authored by Julia Thomas. Segment 1 -- Michael Light on “Undocumented immigration and terrorism: Is there a connection?” Segment 2 -- Implications of the campaign to add and expand bike lanes in LEGO modules Segment 3 – In Memoriam: Professor Robert D. Mare

This week we discuss how new means of constructing algorithms may reduce racial disparities in health care. And, I speak with Professor Nina Bandelj of the University of California-Irvine about her recent paper titled “Amplified Decoupling in the Global Economy: The Case of Bilateral Investment Treaties.” The paper is to be published in Socius, and is co-authored by Aaron Tester. Segment 1 -- Nina Bandelj on “Amplified Decoupling in the Global Economy: The Case of Bilateral Investment Treaties” Segment 2 -- A novel way to construct diagnostic algorithms can reduce health care disparities along lines of race, income, and education

This week we discuss the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States. And, I speak with Professor Naomi Sugie of the University of California-Irvine about her recent paper titled “Marginalization or Incorporation? Welfare Receipt and Political Participation Among Young Adults.” The paper is to be published in Social Problems, and is co-authored by Emma Conner. Segment 1 -- Naomi Sugie on “Marginalization or Incorporation? Welfare Receipt and Political Participation Among Young Adults” Segment 2 -- Social and geopolitical implications of the pace of COVID-19 vaccination, vaccination refusal, virus mutations, and the possible failure to attain herd immunity in the United States.

This week we take a look back at 2020, with Trevor Hoppe, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North-Carolina-Greensboro; Marlese Durr, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Wright State University; David M. Smith, Professor of Sociology, University of Kansas; and Hannah Holleman, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, Amherst College.

This week we consider how people select their health insurance when faced with several options. And, I recently spoke with Professor Lance Hannon of Villanova University about his recent paper titled “Do White People See Variation in Black Skin Tones? Reexamining a Purported Outgroup Homogeneity Effect.” The paper is to be published in Social Psychology Quarterly, and is co-authored by Verna M. Keith, Robert DeFina, and Mary E. Campbell. Segment 1 -- Lance Hannon on “Do White People See Variation in Black Skin Tones? Reexamining a Purported Outgroup Homogeneity Effect.” Segment 2 –Choice overload in health insurance plan selection, and possible responses

This week we reflect upon some insights after considering letters children have sent to Santa about the year 2020. And, I recently spoke with Professor Lisa Keister of Duke University about her recent paper titled “Net Worth Poverty in Child Households by Race and Ethnicity, 1989-2019.” The paper is to be published in Journal of Marriage and Family, and is co-authored by Christina Gibson-Davis and Lisa A. Gennetian. Segment 1 -- Lisa Keister on “Net Worth Poverty in Child Households by Race and Ethnicity, 1989-2019.” Segment 2 – Santa, the Postal Service, and You

This week we discuss the report that 96% of people aged 27-45 are very concerned or extremely concerned about climate change. And, I recently spoke with Professor Charles Seguin of Pennsylvania State University his recent paper titled “The stability of androgynous names: Dynamics of gendered naming practices in the United States 1880-2016.” The paper is to be published in Poetics, and is co-authored by Chris Julien and Yongjun Zhang. Segment 1 -- Charles Seguin on “The stability of androgynous names: Dynamics of gendered naming practices in the United States 1880-2016" Segment 2 -- Does anyone want kids anymore? The scourge of headline findings based on questionable social science methods.