Politics

How Jonathan Gruber became ‘Mr. Mandate’An MIT economist’s path to the center of health-care policymaking in Washington.

F. Daniel Hidalgo: it’s electricThe influence of electronic ballots on democracy in the developing world

The state of the U.S. election systemNew report from MIT and Caltech notes gains in voting-machine technologies, but warns they could be cancelled out by errors introduced through mail and Internet voting.

Christopher Warshaw: Mapping a Democracy

3 Questions: Charles Stewart sizes up the 2012 electionMIT political scientist and voting expert weighs in on the state of the presidential campaign, the shifting demographics of America, and the tossup U.S. Senate races.

Presidential campaigns offer energetic energy debate at MITRepresentatives of Obama, Romney camps lay out differences in crucial policy domains of energy and the environment.

Working for her country

Said and Done for September 2012Digest of MIT humanities, arts, and social sciences.

Sarah Stewart Johnson, EAPS PhD, gives rein to curiosityAlumna envisions combining academia with public policy

Understanding gambling addictionFor machine gamblers, it’s not whether they win or lose — it’s how much they play the game.

The economic cost of increased temperaturesStudy: Warming episodes hurt poor countries and limit long-term growth.

Andrea Campbell: Public opinion and policy viewed through an historical lensProfessor studies taxation, Social Security, health insurance and more.

A taxing issueIn book talk, MIT economist Simon Johnson and co-author James Kwak emphasize need to raise revenues to cope with national debt.

If the people will lead …At an MIT panel on the future of black politics, scholars discuss the need for civic engagement at a time of economic stress.

3 Questions: Adam Berinsky on the unpredictable GOP campaignPolitical scientist who studies public opinion assesses a campaign with wildly fluctuating polls.

Leading by exampleStudy: The presence of female politicians boosts aspirations, educational achievement of young women.

A Tocqueville for our timeMIT historian’s re-evaluation of Democracy in America emphasizes Alexis de Tocqueville’s doubts and concerns about politics in the United States.