Candid conversation about race
In MIT talk, Beverly Daniel Tatum urges direct discussion about racial issues at a “polarized” moment in U.S. history.
Special effects: How a movie could reduce corruption
A film and texting campaign can increase anticorruption reports from citizens, study shows.
Study: Democracy fosters economic growth
Researchers find vast gains in productivity after countries democratize.
Peering under the hood of fake-news detectors
Study uncovers language patterns that AI models link to factual and false articles; underscores need for further testing.
Want to squelch fake news? Let the readers take charge
Study shows audience judgments can identify online misinformation.
What game theory tells us about politics and society
Economist Alexander Wolitzky uses game theory to model institutions, networks, and social dynamics.
A bottom-up view of the state
Embedded with street-level bureaucrats, political theorist Bernardo Zacka reveals the complex moral landscape civil servants must navigate.
The aftermath of violence
Investigating the political and economic consequences of large-scale deadly conflict, Volha Charnysh discovers that community-level interactions make a big impact.
![“Even if you look at a clean study, the [outcome] is usually a composite of multiple components, any one of which could be actually causing the effect,” says Associate Professor Teppei Yamamoto.](/sites/default/files/styles/term_page__news_article/public/images/201810/MIT-Yamamoto.jpg?itok=JQxqhoCS)
Refining the “science” of political science
Teppei Yamamoto examines the methods of his discipline, to help scholars nail down cause and effect.
Detecting fake news at its source
Machine learning system aims to determine if an information outlet is accurate or biased.
An assault on American intelligence
In MIT visit, former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden describes current difficulties faced by society and U.S. intelligence services.
Thomas Friedman examines impact of global “accelerations”
In fall 2018 Compton Lecture, noted columnist discusses problems and opportunities arising from a society in flux.
Report outlines keys to election security
MIT experts are among co-authors calling for ballot paper trails and other resilient practices to avoid election hacking.
![MIT political scientist In Song Kim has overseen the launch of LobbyView.org, a website that connects the activities of lobbyists, firms, and politicians, so that people “can understand how legislative politics [actually] works in the U.S.,” as Kim puts it.](/sites/default/files/styles/term_page__news_article/public/images/201809/MIT-3Q-Lobbying-01.jpg?itok=hpZLX6vU)
3 Questions: Database shines a bright light on Washington lobbying
Launch of In Song Kim’s LobbyView.org makes it simple to follow the path of money in politics.
Why the “solid South” of midcentury U.S. politics was not so solid
Associate Professor Devin Caughey’s new book looks at a massive political shift that took place in a one-party region.