Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

The 2026 midterm elections may be over, but the effort to understand the results is just beginning. Who voted, and what shaped their decisions? Political scientist Carrie LeVan offers a different way to think about what impacts political participation: the design of the communities where we live. From sidewalks and front porches to places where neighbors naturally gather, she explains how our surroundings and everyday interactions can influence whether we get involved in civic life. She also explores how gentrification can disrupt those connections and what local leaders can do to create communities that encourage participation.
For more on this topic:
Check out LeVan's book, Neighborhoods Matter: How Place and People Affect Political Participation 

Read her op-ed in the Bangor Daily News, Question 1 Would Make it Harder for Rural Mainers to Cast their Ballot

New Medicaid rules could make it harder for millions of Americans to keep their health coverage. Professor Jamila Michener explains how work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and higher out-of-pocket costs could push eligible people off the program. Drawing on conversations with Medicaid recipients, she explores why politicians keep invoking fraud to justify cuts, why the people most affected have little say in how Medicaid works, and what it would take to change that.
 
For more on this topic:
Read Michener's op-ed in Syracuse.com, Historic Medicaid Cuts Are a Body Blow to Vulnerable Americans 

Read her article in Health Affairs, The Future Of Medicaid And The Imperative Of Organized Power

Check out her book, Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics

Is it Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day—and what does that choice say about whose history America celebrates? The Trump administration has reaffirmed Columbus Day, praising Christopher Columbus as an American hero while declining to issue a separate proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day. Professor Kerri Malloy explains why the debate goes beyond a name on the calendar, how it fits into ongoing efforts to change the way U.S. history is portrayed in museums and national parks, and what we can achieve from taking a more critical approach to learning our past.
For more on this topic:
Read Malloy's commentary in The Conversation, Universities Returning Native American Remains and Artifacts Isn't Just About Physical Objects – It's About Dignity and Justice

Check out his essay in the Canopy Forum, From Doctrine to Proclamation: How Faith Still Frames U.S. Indian Policy

Read his op-ed in Cal Matters, Gov. Newsom and Pres. Trump Tell the Same Inadequate Tale About Native America

Cuts to federal funding have made headlines for months. But what actually happens to nonprofits when that government money dries up? Professor Claire Dunning explains how federal funding helped build the modern nonprofit sector, why this money has long felt invisible, and how public and private funding have become so intertwined. She explores the ways in which philanthropy can shape nonprofits' priorities and influence which policy ideas get funded — and what that means for the people and communities nonprofits serve.
For more on this topic:
Read Dunning's commentary in Vital City, An Antidemocratic Approach to Democratic Governance

Check out her book, Nonprofit Neighborhoods: An Urban History of Inequality and the American State 

Read her op-ed in The Washington Post, How the Rise of Urban Nonprofits Has Exacerbated Poverty

Labor Day is supposed to be about honoring workers—but what about the essential work that happens at home, often without a paycheck? Professor Jennifer Greenfield explains why caregiving, paid family and medical leave, and the rising cost of child care are not just private family concerns, but issues that affect workers, employers, and the broader economy. She explores what paid leave policies look like across U.S. states, who gets left out of the current system, and what policymakers can do to better support people caring for children, aging parents, and other loved ones.
For more on this topic:
Check out Greenfield's findings, A Colorado Guaranteed Income Program Could Help Families, but the Costs Are High, co-written with Kaitlyn Sims and Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, in The Conversation

Read her op-ed in the Denver Post, Here's How the Big Beautiful Bill Will Hurt Coloradans Most in Need of Assistance

Check out her op-ed in The Hill, Why paid leave should be kept in Build Back Better