Humanities & Society

Google’s decision this week to ban payday loan ads should be commended, but also highlights the need that many lower-income consumers have for affordable short-term loan options, says an expert on social and economic development at Washington University in St. Louis.

The dramatic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal one year ago left behind a landscape littered with crumbled homes, buildings and roads. While infrastructure can be rebuilt, the disaster may have a more lasting impact on the nation’s culture, suggests an interdisciplinary team studying the aftermath as part of a rapid response grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Low-to-moderate income black students and graduates accrue on average $7,721 more student debt than their white counterparts, finds a new analysis by researchers in the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.

A new study by Darrell Hudson of the Brown School delves into the discrimination felt by African American men in St. Louis, the stress it causes them and the coping methods they use to alleviate that stress.

Microsoft’s challenge to the gag order provisions of the federal Stored Communications Act should be applauded by everyone who cares about civil liberties, whether in the physical or digital worlds, said Neil Richards, a privacy law expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Working women who want to minimize career income losses related to motherhood should wait until they are about 30 years old to have their first children, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Thinking about blowing that tax refund on a vacation or some home improvements? You might be better off pocketing your cash and saving it, said Michal Grinstein-Weiss, associate director of the Brown School’s Center for Social Development and principal investigator of the Refund To Savings initiative.

Graphic cigarette labels could be effective at reducing smoking rates in American Indian/Alaska Natives communities, according to research from the Brown School.

On April 5, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law House Bill 1523, a controversial “religious freedom” bill, which says that the state government cannot punish public employees, social service providers and businesses that refuse to provide services to people because of a religious opposition. The law is unconstitutional, said Elizabeth Sepper, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

The August 2014 death of unarmed Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer captivated the nation and touched off a heated debate about the nature of law enforcement in the United States. A new book edited by Washington University in St. Louis’ Kimberly Norwood explores the underlying fault lines that cracked and gave rise to the eruption in Ferguson, Mo.