Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

Trump and Republican leaders have promised to repeal Obamacare, leaving millions without health insurance. Professor Colleen Grogan breaks down the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, its shortcomings, and key parts of proposed alternatives. For More on this Topic: Read her two-page fact sheet, What Trump Means for the Affordable Care Act, co-authored with Dean Sherry Glied . Check out her brief, Debunking Myths about Medicaid - And Its Expansion, with Theda Skocpol and Katherine Swartz. Further Reading: How Obamacare Repeal Would Harm Rural America, Claire Snell-Rood, University of California, Berkeley, Cathleen E. Willging, Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest How Obamacare Helps Americans Who Already Have Health Insurance, Jonathan Oberlander, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tensions with China are high, North Korea is testing nuclear warheads, and the Philippines is distancing itself. Professor Oriana Skylar Mastro explores the complicated web of U.S. trade and military relations in Asia and highlights potential challenges. For More on this Topic: Check out her two-page brief, Japan, the United States, and the Shifting Balance of Air Power in Northeast Asia. Read her article on China's military transparency as mentioned in the episode. Further Reading: Can Countries Overcome Distrust by Affirming Rather than Downplaying National Identities?, Eun Bin Chung, University of Utah Is Military Aid an Effective Tool for U.S. Foreign Policy?, Patricia L. Sullivan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Americans across the political spectrum are questioning the integrity of U.S. elections and democracy. Professor Amel Ahmed walks through threats that can erode democracies and encourages protecting institutions, even the controversial Electoral College. For More on this Topic: Check out her piece defending the electoral college in The American Prospect. See the controversial New York Times graph Avi mentioned and a rebuttal in the Washington Post. Read her two-page brief and her book, Democracy and the Politics of Electoral System Choice: Engineering Electoral Dominance. Further Reading: How Government by the Privileged Distorts Democracies, Nicholas Carnes, Duke University, Noam Lupu, Vanderbilt University How International Election Observers Can Help Fledgling Democracies, Leslie E. Anderson, University of Florida

The Supreme Court is helps shape civil rights in the United States, but it is less recognized for its role in intensifying economic inequality. Professor Stephen Gottlieb details cases in the high court that have promoted these inequalities. For More on this Topic: Read two-page brief, How the Roberts Court Undermines U.S. Democracy, or his book, Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and the Breakdown of American Politics. Check out his blog or commentary on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Further Reading: The Changing Relationship of Congress and the Federal Judiciary, Bruce Peabody, Fairleigh Dickinson University County Right-to-Work Laws as the Latest Tactic to Undercut American Labor Unions, Raymond Hogler, Colorado State University

A voting rule no one is talking about could change the face of elections across the country. Professor Zoltan Hajnal explains how combining national, state, and local election days would boost turnout and reduce disparities in voting and representation. For More on this Topic: Check out his two-page brief, To Avert the Next Ferguson, Reschedule Elections to Make Local Politics More Representative Read his book, America's Uneven Democracy: Turnout, Race, and Representation in City Politics. Further Reading: How The Timing of Elections Shapes Turnout, Election Outcomes, and Public Policy, Sarah F. Anzia, University of California, Berkeley Do Election Reforms Promote Equal Participation?, Elizabeth Rigby, The George Washington University

Professor Heather Lee tells the story of how a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act led to the Chinese restaurant boom in America. Drawing parallels to today, she explains the unintended impacts of the law on the U.S. and China.

Professor Gabriel Sanchez breaks down the Latino vote in the 2016 election and unpacks the controversy and misinterpretation of exit poll data on Latinos. He discusses where these voters stand on immigration, the economy, and healthcare.

Tech error fixed: Professor Peter Shane describes the court case that could give the president new authority to fire any federal official, for any reason. He explains the history of the theory behind the court's ruling and arguments for and against it.

Professor Garth Heutel lays out a potentially cost-effective way to reduce global temperatures to stave off global warming. But solar geoengineering is not a silver bullet. While the benefits are clear, the costs are much more uncertain.

Professor Sarah Bowen discusses her research on why home-cooking is not all it's cracked up to be. She gives a more realistic account of the idealized family dinner, and how money, time, and gender norms impact how and when families eat.

Professor Chris S. Parker details why, given America's racial history, the election of Donald Trump is not a surprise. Reactionary parties have always appealed to voters beyond just the rural, working class, and Trump supporters are no exception.

Professor Kathy Cramer shares lessons from her conversations with rural communities in Wisconsin. Rural voters often feel forgotten, misunderstood, and disrespected, which directly affects their sense of politics and whom they elect to office.

Professor Theda Skocpol discusses the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and what to expect from a Trump presidency. Analyzing the factors that swayed voters, she offers insight on what the Democrats need to do moving forward.

Professor Jan Leighley walks through the factors that influence voter behavior from age to party to voting laws. Elected officials and campaigns are responsive to groups with high turnout and encourage them to vote. The opposite is also true.

Professor Paul Lichterman analyzes strategies used by activists in social movements and explains how Sanders supporters decide to interact with Clinton in the general election. He offers a new way to think about Trump's appeal to the religious right.

Professor Nathan Jensen explains how cities and states often lose more than they gain when politicians use tax incentives to bring businesses to town.

Professor Amy Fried explains the use and abuse of public opinion research and tells ​how polling methods have changed over the past 100 years.

Professor Sara Goldrick-Rab discusses the impact of the high cost of college on students at public and community colleges, including hunger, homelessness, and debt without getting a degree. She explains root of the problem and offers concrete solutions.

Professor Kelly Dittmar discusses how gender impacts attitudes towards candidates and informs voters' expectations. Informed by the Presidential Gender Watch 2016 project, Dittmar flags what to look and listen for in the first presidential debate.

This special episode tells the story of a professor who helped to inform local policy: Tamara Kay corrected misleading statistics about a labor law in New Mexico. For context, Professor Raymond Hogler provides the history and impact of right-to-work laws.

No Jargon is on break this week. It's the beginning of the semester and professors and SSN chapters are starting up for the new year. If you need your scholarly fix, read a brief on affirmative action in colleges at www.scholars.org/backtoschool.

Professor Ushma Upadhyay examined an abortion pill law in Ohio that required health care providers to use outdated FDA rules. Said to protect women's health, the law instead hurt women's health and increased the cost and time spent for the procedure.

Professor Jules Boykoff places Rio 2016 in historical context from the Olympics' elitist beginnings to their continued strain on host cities. As rising costs burden the public without delivering lasting benefits, fewer cities are "game for the Games."

Professor Tracey Meares discusses why building community trust must be at the foundation of police reform. Departments can strengthen legitimacy by looking beyond the goal of reducing crime to focus on citizen engagement and addressing past injustices.

Professor Sarah Horton outlines why so many farmworkers face illness - and even death – on the job. Poor regulation, harsh labor practices, and economic pressures push them to work without shade, water, or breaks and discourage them from speaking up.

Professor James Curry explains how limited resources have enabled party leaders to write and negotiate most laws in Congress. Lacking expertise, staff, and time, rank-and-file members rarely have the chance to contribute to the bills on which they vote.

Professor Carolyn Heinrich lays out how and why technology has a growing presence in America's classrooms. Digital tools offer some benefits, but their effects on student learning can fall behind in-person instruction and may distract more than they help.

Professor Paru Shah discusses why electing people of color is hindered by segregated districts, voter bias, and election rules and timing. Drawing on her experience as an elected school board member, Shah explains the hurdles for minority candidates.

Professor Shauna Shames lays out why running for office often comes with additional costs for women and leads many to stay away from politics. Hillary Clinton has overcome the odds and may inspire others to run, but she is more of an outlier than the norm.

Professor Nicholas Carnes explains the consequences of having mostly white-collar elected officials - a government by the rich, for the rich. Working class Americans and their interests are underrepresented, but Carnes highlights ways to help them run.

Rocío Garcia describes how social class, race, gender, and citizenship status impact access to reproductive health care. To become more inclusive, the reproductive rights movement must address these factors and move beyond being just "pro-choice".

David Dagan outlines the GOP's journey from being "tough on crime" to embracing prison reform. Despite falling crime rates, the party could only change from the inside - with key Republicans leading the way after experiencing prison for themselves.

Professors Blasi, Freeman, and Kruse stay post-interview to discuss why trade unions, business schools, and foundations should get on board with employee ownership and profit sharing programs.

Professors Blasi, Freeman, and Kruse explain how sharing the ownership or profits of a company with workers can improve productivity, pay, and work life quality - all while reducing economic inequality.

Professor Anna Law lays out meaningful and responsible reforms that the next President could use to address immigration. Law encourages the incoming administration to look beyond the undocumented population and learn from history's failures and successes.

Professor Sofya Aptekar explores the gift economy through Freecycle, a network of groups where people can give and receive used items. Aptekar examines how income inequality and consumption patterns impact the organization, people, and the environment.

Professor Jamila Michener discusses one way the U.S. tries to incorporate low-income and minority individuals into the political system and why the effort has been failing. The core issues are those of partisanship, race, and who implements policies.

Professor Saher Selod explains how 9/11 changed the lives of Muslims in America. This small and diverse group faces hostility, discriminatory policies, and Islamophobic rhetoric in the media and now the 2016 election in the name of national security.

Joshua Kalla describes a new door to door canvassing technique, "deep canvassing," that encourages voters to tell their own stories of discrimination and leads to dramatic, long-lasting decreases in prejudice.

Professor Christopher Parker shows the role of racial resentment in the rise of the Tea Party and connects it to "the paranoid style" in American politics. Parker points to white fears of America's changing demographics as a driving force in today's GOP.

Professor Lawrence Jacobs reveals how America's central bank, the Federal Reserve, used the 2008 financial crisis to expand its size and authority. With little accountability, this institution has favored big banks and increased economic inequality.

Professor Jacob Hacker shows how the war on government made America forget the root of its prosperity - a healthy mix of government and business. This was no accident, as a more politicized business community helped shift public discourse and then policy.

Professor Paul Pierson presents the forgotten history of American prosperity: how public and private sectors worked together for economic growth and social progress. This mixed economy increased life spans, built infrastructure, and spurred innovation.

Vanessa Williamson dispels the misconception that Americans hate taxes. In fact, most Americans support taxes and are willing to increase them for services they care about. She outlines how, despite this, anti-tax policies became so popular.

In light of recent news about abortion and birth control, this episode revisits Professor Carole Joffe's interview. She discussed the politics of abortion, the economic importance of reproductive choice, and state-level restrictions to abortion access.

Professor Arthur MacEwan explains how market regulations - from patent laws to healthcare to early childhood education - can address the roots of economic inequality. To help us improve our podcast, please take our short survey at http://bit.ly/NJsurvey.

Professor Joshua Inwood describes how truth and reconciliation processes address legacies of racism, violence, and conflict and move toward community healing. To help us improve our podcast, please take our short survey at http://bit.ly/NJsurvey.

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy stays post-interview to tell the story of a small tech and financial services company with a unique branding problem.

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy outlines the power of public backlash, shareholder pressure, and consumer boycotts to check corporate spending on political causes. Torres-Spelliscy is an Associate Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law.

Professor Dana Fisher shows that policymakers only hear scientific information about climate change that reaffirms their own positions. Fisher is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland.