Law, Politics and Society

In a new article, Jack Zhang, associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas, finds that the People’s Daily newspaper has reduced foreign news coverage during President Xi Jinping’s administration, suggesting such coverage is influenced more by domestic politics than by China’s growing international interests.

In a new scholarly article, Kevin Mullinix, associate professor of political science, finds Christian nationalism shapes beliefs about who is most deserving of punishment in society in ways that are contingent on the identity of the offender and victim — and the extent to which the crime violates particular norms.

KU researchers launched a project to document instances of “landback,” in which land is returned to Indigenous communities, tribes and owners. Analysis of the data shows the returns are happening and increasing in frequency across the country. That could be the impetus for public planning as a discipline to rethink how it approaches working with such lands and move beyond simple land acknowledgements, the authors said.

A study led by the University of Kansas explored news skepticism, news trust and misinformation. Results showed people with more news knowledge had more news skepticism, but those with more news cynicism were more likely to believe misinformation. The results can help improve media literacy and fight misinformation, the authors said.

A University of Kansas religious studies scholar has written a new chapter on Jewish economic theology for the St. Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Samuel Brody starts with the biblical injunction against lending money at interest and sketches historical Jewish highlights stretching from the rabbis of the Talmud to the medieval sage Maimonides to Karl Marx.

University of Kansas researchers propose viewing the problem through an African feminist lens that would engage culture, local customs and knowledge to address an issue that has persisted despite legal reforms.

In two recent publications, a University of Kansas communication studies researcher prescribes constructive approaches to political polarization both in the classroom and in society more broadly.

Alex Platt, KU School of Law professor, has published research showing that the JOBS Act of 2012, which was intended to revive the IPO market, has had the opposite effect. Instead of making it easier for companies to go public through the IPO process, it has resulted in "dual-track bias," which has led many companies to sell to larger companies instead.

Lilly Springer, doctoral candidate in economics at the University of Kansas, found that states that implemented total abortion bans by the start of 2023 experienced a 1.6% increase in the overall birth rate. They also experience 4.3% and 2.1% increase in monthly postpartum women and formula-fed infant WIC participation, respectively, leading to an additional $6.9 million in food costs.

In a new article, Sofia Vera, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Kansas, investigates how public denials by politicians accused of corruption influence electoral accountability and why positive and negative partisanship shapes voter reactions.