The Cost of the Most Beautiful Building in Boston

Northeastern University is now home to the “single most beautiful building” in Boston.[1] In February, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) received the 2018 Harleston Parker Medal, the highest honor from the Boston Society of Architects.[2] The $225 million “innovation ecosystem” opened in 2017 and has been described by Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun […]

Poverty, Proximity, and Pigs: Environmental Racism in the Food Industry

While the prevailing perception of pigs among most urban white-collar workers may revolve around a cute, fun-loving ball of fur, the same animal represents pollution, environmental harm, and food injustice for many rural communities of color. In North Carolina, for example, the hog population has more than doubled in recent decades—from 2.8 million in 1990 […]

Shifts in the Democratic Party

On January 1, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled plans for the “Select Committee on Climate Crisis.”[1] Chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, the committee will research and develop recommendations on strategies and policies to make permanent reductions in pollution and other contributors to the climate crisis. Yet arguably the most vocal politician on climate […]

Why Conservatives Should Conserve the Environment

When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling In the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting This land was made for you and me -Woody Guthrie In 2017, Congress passed new tax legislation allowing for the leasing of oil rights in the Arctic National […]

All About Incivility: An Interview with Candice Delmas

Candice Delmas is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Northeastern University, and the Associate Director of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Program. She will be a 2019-2020 Humanities Center Fellow and served as a Dworkin-Balzan Fellow at New York University School of Law in 2016-2017. She works in applied ethics, social and […]

The Qatar-Gulf Crisis in Context

Akshat recently traveled to Doha as a member of the Qatar Exchange Fellowship, sponsored by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the Northeastern University International Relations Council. The content of this article is largely sourced from conversations with officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, Qatar’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, Al […]

The Good Kind of Popularity Contest

As the year 2000 drew to a close, two presidential candidates fought vehemently to claim the most powerful position in the world. Democratic candidate Al Gore called for a manual recount in Florida, where Republican candidate George W. Bush led by 0.5% in the initial tally.[1]  They battled over how the votes should be recounted, […]

Policy Platform(s): The Dangers of Political Discourse through Social Media

On February 10th, a month into her first term in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted on her public Twitter profile. In months prior, she used Twitter to garner support for her congressional campaign and to share her story as an up-and-coming progressive leader.  She later used the platform to celebrate becoming one of the […]

Sports as a Mirror to Society

Sports in America have evolved similarly to the country itself: with slow, painful change pushed by minorities and women risking everything to stand up and demand the right to play. Waves of change in sports are reflected in trends throughout society; each step forward for women’s sports have aligned with the different waves of feminism, […]

Rethinking the Fight for $15

Congressional Democrats have renewed the fight to give working Americans a raise. In January, they proposed the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2024. The bill is already supported by 181 Democratic sponsors in House and 31 in the Senate.[1] The proposal […]