Law, Politics and Society

In a new book chapter, David Norman Smith, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, examines Donald Trump’s intention to be a dictator “on day one” of his second term in office. He scrutinizes Trump’s assertion that many individuals “like” such talk of a dictatorship and finds that this is fueled more by the culture wars than the economy.

Given changes in democracy around the world, the field of public administration education should reevaluate its accreditation standards to examine what democratic accountability standards are to better educate the next generation of public servants, a KU professor argues in a new article.

In a new study, Jack Zhang, assistant professor of political science at the University of Kansas, presented business managers with information about the input costs of new tariffs to their bottom line and invited them to take political action to express support or opposition to these tariffs. The findings suggest this information did not significantly increase managers’ propensity to take any political or social action.

International policy organizations that aim to address social problems such as domestic violence tend to provide guidance, especially to developing nations, but more could be done to consider what they could learn from those on the ground.

The "Plandemic" video became influential by appealing to both sides of America’s political divide, according to Brett Bricker, KU communication studies researcher. He contributed to the new book “Pandemic Resilience: Vaccination Resistance and Hesitance, Lessons from COVID-19.”

"The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies" takes a look at the history of the role of first lady. Not simply a collection of biographies, the book examines how first ladies were portrayed in their time, their legacies, how they performed, their influence and much more through a variety of scholarly lenses.

In a new study, Nazli Avdan, an associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas, examines the relationship between restrictions on abortion and future physical integrity rights abuses.

A study by a KU associate professor of law outlines how the Securities and Exchange Commission's process for companies to go public is outdated and inefficient, adding months to the IPO cycle. As the climate for addressing inefficient regulations heats up, the SEC's initial public offering process could make for a promising target, Alexander Platt writes.

"A Republic If You Can Afford It," a new book by a University of Knasas researcher and colleagues, explores how much it costs to hold elections across the country. The book is published by Cambridge University Press as part of its Cambridge Elements Series.

In a new paper, Anton Shirikov, assistant professor of political science at the University of Kansas, outlines how propaganda reinforces regime support and builds trust through identity-consistent messages. But the analysis also indicates that autocrats are more constrained by public opinion than previously thought.