Law, Business And Politics

The Latin American Public Opinion Project's efforts never stopped when Vanderbilt closed labs in mid-March due to COVID-19. Instead, director Elizabeth Zechmeister’s team pivoted to exclusively remote work and tackled the monumental task of overhauling research protocols to acquire data that reveals new insights about the pandemic’s effects on democracy. Read More

Ethnocentric concerns about the growing political power and social influence of immigrants, African Americans and Latinos are undermining Republicans’ commitment to long-held democratic norms, according to new research by Vanderbilt University political science professor Larry Bartels. Read More

Vanderbilt University historian Thomas Schwartz has written a biography of famed diplomat Henry Kissinger that offers lessons for today’s political leaders. Read More

When it comes to creating successful business interactions, exchanges between buyers and sellers with similar emotional abilities may lead to more lucrative outcomes than an animated or ambitious employee alone. Read More

The partisanship of Tennesseans strongly influences their views on COVID-19, according to the latest statewide Vanderbilt Poll. The poll also found that economic worries abound as Tennesseans feel the financial effect of the safer-at-home order. Read More

Evolution may explain why we overvalue some things—but not others—to an irrational degree. Read More

Nashvillians gave very high marks to the city’s institutions and elected officials for their response to the COVID-19 crisis, but residents’ economic anxiety levels are high as the city faces hard times and tough financial decisions, according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville. Read More

As COVID-19 strains hospitals and doctors’ offices, it’s more important than ever for health care leaders to model, cultivate and support compassion among their staff. Professor of management Tim Vogus distills some best practices for health care leaders. Read More

Vanderbilt law professor Jennifer Shinall finds that some, but not all, types of legislation designed to protect pregnant employees are effective in their aim to help these workers keep working during pregnancy and after giving birth. Read More

Primary voters prefer incumbents with a proven record of success, according to a new working paper from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, coauthored by Alan Wiseman. Read More

Two Vanderbilt seniors are taking unique approaches to bringing apathetic and frustrated voters to the political table. Read More

Vanderbilt Law School professors Jim Rossi and Christopher Serkin have won the 2020 Morrison Prize for best scholarship in environmental law with their co-authored paper “Energy Exactions.” Read More

Even a seemingly uncontroversial topic like school lunch nutrition can become politicized when the person advocating for it is a polarizing figure, finds political scientist Cindy Kam. Read More

An analysis by Kip Viscusi finds that the post-9/11 wars may have resulted in more than twice as many indirect deaths back home as were lost in battle, due to the diversion of war costs from the U.S. economy and the subsequent impact on the nation’s health. Read More

The 2019 Vanderbilt Poll shows that Tennesseans agree on many tough issues, while a new set of questions reveals insights into the financial and health care worries of Tennessee voters. Read More

When asked to make a small donation to charity, we're more likely to give if we can remain anonymous. New research by Kelly Goldsmith suggests that it's because the promise of public recognition interferes with the altruistic feeling we get when we donate. Read More

A neatly wrapped gift will impress your acquaintances, but might leave your loved ones feeling let down when the gift doesn't live up to expectations, suggests new research by Vanderbilt postdoctoral scholar Erick Mas. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Latin American Public Opinion Project has received a $10 million, five-year USAID grant to support its influential AmericasBarometer survey and related activities. Read More

In a new book, Vanderbilt law professor Brian Fitzpatrick argues for an approach to class action lawsuits that both sides of the aisle can agree on. Read More

Democracy is struggling for support in the Americas, according to the 2018/19 AmericasBarometer report, with just over half of all citizens expressing faith in the system for the second survey period in a row. “When citizen support for democracy is weak, it becomes difficult for nations to sustain free… Read More