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(05/11/15 10:32pm)
As a Nepali student in the United States, I have been overwhelmed by the support of students and community members for Nepal in the wake of the April 25 earthquake. Fear of government corruption is, however, stifling fundraising efforts. Donors want to make sure their money will make a difference, and there is a simple way for the government to win international trust. Lessons from recent disasters, such as those in Haiti and Sichuan, China, point to direct cash transfers, or DCT, as the most effective way of helping victims. Through DCT, aid is transferred directly to disaster survivors in the form of cash, and the process can help mitigate graft. DCT is the best approach to relief distribution and should play a central role in the Nepali government aid response.
(11/10/14 12:39am)
Four out of five young people did not vote in Tuesday’s election. In fact, the U.S. Election Project estimates that this year’s midterm saw the lowest overall turnout since 1942, as reported by the New York Times. Should this worry you? It should if you care about democracy. A torrent of recent studies show America’s democracy in crisis: In his 2012 book “Affluence and Influence,” Princeton University’s Martin Gilens found that lawmakers only respond to the policy preferences of the rich, while the middle and lower classes are basically ignored. Larry Bartels, Benjamin Page and Jason Seawright later added that real policy influence might in fact rest with “the one percent.” Increasing electoral turnout via a universal poll tax will reinvigorate democracy.
(10/26/14 10:10pm)
The voices against graduate programs make a simple claim: more graduate students will lower the quality of undergraduate education. This seems self-evident — if there are more graduate students, professors will care less about undergraduates and the College’s resources will chase graduate students. However, this zero-sum model does not always hold. A handful of our peer institutions have shown that, if done right, graduate programs can dramatically improve the quality of undergraduate education.
(10/13/14 10:37pm)
Political scientists are starting to find that the angry, threatened, gun-clinging Republican stereotype might run deeper than the news. To cite just a few recent studies, in 2006 John T. Jost found that conservatives suffer from “chronically elevated levels of threat” and are “more likely than liberals to perceive the world as a dangerous place,” while in 2014 John R. Hibbing found that “conservatives tend to register greater physiological responses to negative stimuli.” The link works the other way, too. Heightened insecurity seems to increases the popularity of conservatism, as seen in its rise in the U.S. after 9/11. Why are Republicans so afraid? Dietary differences and the hormone cortisol may provide an answer.
(09/28/14 10:33pm)
The average grade at Harvard was about a C+ 65 years ago, according to Stuart Rojstaczer, a former Duke professor. Today, it is roughly an A-. What does this tell us? Well, the biggest lesson from this statistic is that averages can be misleading.
(09/14/14 8:43pm)
If a country is lucky, every generation has a rock star leader who seems capable of actually making a difference. Hopes are high for what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver after winning the most resounding electoral victory in recent Indian history. But if his first 100 days in office are a sign of things to come, Modi will fail to deliver. Bad infrastructure, bureaucratic lethargy and pervasive corruption will ensure that India continues to stagnate.
(05/26/14 8:57pm)
The American media has largely ignored the biggest news story of the year. So, unless you watch “The Daily Show” or “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” you probably don’t know this: India had an election. Narendra Modi, the new prime minister, won in a landslide. Modi, however, is extremely divisive. In 2002, more than a thousand Muslims were killed in sectarian violence in Gujarat. Modi was the chief minister of that state. While every investigation into his role in the tragedy — including one led by the Indian Supreme Court — has found him innocent, some remain convinced of a cover up. If Modi is to unite the country behind him, he must start his term by tackling an issue that crosses religious and economic divides. While India offers many urgent problems to choose from, Modi should address farmer suicides first.
(05/11/14 10:01pm)
Dartmouth has a weak international profile. Our 2013 strategic planning report found “a large gap between Dartmouth’s global and national rankings” and noted that “Dartmouth is not widely recognized outside of certain spheres in the United States.” To illustrate the problem, we rank 126th in the Times World University rankings, making us the only Ivy outside the top 60. We also rank 119th in the QS World rankings. Every other Ivy is in the top 50. That can change. There is a proven way to dramatically increase our international reputation and presence while gaining millions of dollars of sponsorship. Dartmouth needs to open a campus in Asia.
(04/28/14 10:56pm)
It’s time to replace Dartmouth Dining Services. Campus is rife with complaints about dining, but few effective remedies have been proposed. There is a simple, proven way for the College to vastly increase food quality and lower costs: bring in an external food provider and ditch DDS. Will it work? Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wellesley College are some peer schools with external providers. External providers dominate every major ranking of college food, and these providers cater not only to universities, but also to companies famous for their high quality of life, like Google, Oracle and Twitter. Dartmouth needs a culinary savior, and an external provider is the answer.
(04/14/14 11:00pm)
Our world is about to become a lot more dangerous. While we have not seen outright conflict between major powers since World War II, a key technological change will make conflict between China and the U.S. more likely.