Changing public opinion and high costs have death sentences in decline in America. Professor Frank Baumgartner explains that when they do happen, race, mental illness, and even location predict who is sentenced and executed — not just the crime.

For More on This Topic:

• Check out his research on state's death penalty system discussed in the Louisiana Weekly.
• See the latest from the death penalty debate in the New York Times' article on the Arkansas executions.

Further Reading:

• Children of Imprisoned Parents and the Future of Inequality in the United States, Sara Wakefield, Rutgers University, Christopher Wildeman, Cornell University
• The Troubling Fate of Aged Prisoners on Death Row, Elizabeth Rapaport, University of New Mexico School of Law

Trump's cabinet is the wealthiest in U.S. history. In light of this news, this episode revisits Professor Nicholas Carnes' interview on the effects of a government run by the rich, for the rich, and ways to get working class Americans a seat at the table.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out the New York Times graphic and article on the financial disclosures of the White House.

• Read his briefs, How Government by the Privileged Distorts Economic Policy and How Government by the Privileged Distorts Democracies.

Further Reading:

• Why Politically Active Billionaires Threaten the Health of Democracy, Darrell M. West, Brookings Institution

• Who Gets What They Want from Government?, Martin Gilens, Princeton University

Poverty can persist in the same communities for generations, especially communities of color. Professor Darrick Hamilton walks through the policies that prevent people from moving up in the economy and proposes solutions from jobs to schooling to banking.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out his research on 'Baby Bonds' discussed in the Institute for New Economic Thinking.
• Read his two-page brief, co-authored with William Darity Jr. and Mark Paul.
• Find the book he referenced, When Affirmative Action Was White by Ira Katznelson.

Further Reading:

• Why America's Women of Color Have Lost Ground Since the Great Recession, Marion Johnson, NC Justice Centre, SSN Basic Facts, October 2015
• Financial Deregulation, U.S. Party Politics, and Rising Income Inequality, Nathan J. Kelly, University of Tennessee, Giovanny D. Pleites-Hernandez, Eric Keller, University of Tennessee, February 2016

Development efforts in American cities often push out long-term residents and communities of color. Zeroing in on Baltimore, Professor Brandi Blessett breaks down the intentional and unintentional impacts of urban policy decisions.

For More on this Topic:

• Read more of her work on the impact of public administration on communities of color in her two-page brief.
• Check out Arnold Hirsch's book on race and housing in Chicago, Making the Second Ghetto.

Further Reading:

• The Health Consequences of Moving From Place to Place, Antwan Jones, George Washington University
• The Real Baltimore Crisis, Eva Rosen, Johns Hopkins University
• Episode 19: Changing Neighborhoods for Better or Worse, Jackelyn Hwang

Could we fight unemployment by providing government jobs in construction, child care, and other needed public projects? Professor William Darity explains how a Federal Job Guarantee could work and how similar programs have been effective in the past.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out his oped in The New York Times.
• Read his two-page brief, co-authored with Darrick Hamilton and Mark Paul.

Further Reading:

• Why Jobless Americans Experience Deep and Prolonged Distress, Cristobal Young, Stanford University, SSN Key Findings
• The Great Recession and America's Underemployment Crisis, Leif Jensen, Pennsylvania State University, Tim Slack, Louisiana State University, SSN Key Findings

As charter school debates play out at the local level, out-of-state donors are contributing millions of dollars to school board campaigns in cities like Los Angeles and Denver. Professor Sarah Reckhow breaks down who donates and what that money does.

For More on this Topic:

• Read her two-page brief, Can Philanthropists Engineer Effective School Reforms?
• Check out her research discussed in Futurity and her article "Outsiders with Deep Pockets."

Further Reading:

• The Promising Launch of Community-Oriented Charter Schools in New Orleans, Brian R. Beabout, University of New Orleans, Joseph L. Boselovic, Loyola University New Orleans, SSN Basic Facts
• Is Wall Street Looking to Profit from School Reform?, Jeff Faux, Economic Policy Institute
• Rhetoric and Reality in the "All Charter" Approach to School Reform in New Orleans, J. Celeste Lay, Tulane University, SSN Basic Facts

Rollbacks on federal regulations will put American's food at risk. Professor Adam Sheingate explains the risks to consumers and the prospects for food safety in the coming years. He stresses that trust in government is key during food safety crises.

For More on this Topic:

• Read his pieces in Democracy Journal, "In the Era of Trump, be Careful What You Eat" and "Still a Jungle."
• Check out his two-page brief, Why America's Food is Still Not Safe.

Further Reading:

• How Better U.S. Food Policies Could Foster Improved Health, Safer Jobs, and a More Sustainable Environment, Nicholas Freudenberg, City University of New York School of Public Health and Hunter College, SSN Basic Facts
• The Vital Mission of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Daniel Carpenter, Harvard University, SSN Basic Facts

As the federal government ramps up deportation efforts, myths about sanctuary cities are widespread. Professor Tom Wong shows how local sanctuary policies lead to safer and economically stronger communities and explains what they can and cannot do.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out his research discussed in The Washington Post and San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Read his new book, The Politics of Immigration.

Further Reading:

• How Young Immigrants, Communities, and States Benefit from President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Tom Wong, Spotlight, August 2015
• Should Local Police be on the Front Lines of Immigration Enforcement?, Doris Marie Provine, Arizona State University
• What Does the Supreme Court's Deadlocked Decision on Deferring Deportations Mean for Immigrant Families?, Heide Castañeda, University of South Florida

The outsized influence of money is a problem in U.S. politics. Sean McElwee and Professor Tabatha Abu El-Haj describe how donors skew policy and how getting more people to vote could counter big money in politics where repealing Citizens United cannot.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out McElwee's study, Whose Voice, Whose Choice?
• Read Professor Abu El-Haj's two-page brief, The Inevitable Limits of Campaign Finance Reform, or her article, Beyond Campaign Finance Reform.
• Find the recommended articles by Professor Theda Skocpol in Vox and the New York Times.

Further Reading:

• Making Sense of the Koch Network, Theda Skocpol, Harvard University
• Rising Economic Inequality and Campaign Contributions from Very Wealthy Americans, Adam Bonica, Stanford University, Howard Rosenthal, New York University

Protests that turn violent have been a constant throughout American history. Professor Ashley Howard explains their origins, and how new laws, policing methods, and social media have changed the way people demonstrate.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out her interview in The Chronicle of Higher Education and her piece in The Black Scholar.
• Read her two-page brief, How U.S. Urban Unrest in the 1960s Can Help Make Sense of Ferguson, Missouri, and Other Recent Protests.

Further Reading:

• How the Ferguson Commission Can Promote Healing and Reconciliation in Metropolitan Saint Louis, Eric Royer, University of Missouri-St. Louis
• How Social Movements are Using the Internet to Change Politics, Deana A. Rohlinger, Florida State University
• How Legacies of Urban Racial Segregation Shape Today's Controversies over Police Killings of Black People, Colin Gordon, University of Iowa