Humanities & Society

As Americans begin to file their last returns under a fading tax system, as President Donald Trump concludes his first State of the Union with a great emphasis on the economy, as the world watches this country undergo tectonic changes, it’s time to cut through the politicking and positioning. Washington University in St. Louis compiled researchers and experts across campus to attempt to put the new tax reform into perspective, plainly speaking.

Congressional Republicans agree on tax cuts more than they agree on nearly any other issue. Tax cuts have been central to Republican economic policy since the mid-20th century.

Much of the debate over the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act focuses on whether Congress favors rich corporations over poor people. But an expert on tax law at Washington University in St. Louis asks, what about poor corporations?

In a research paper set for publication in the journal Behavioral Science & Policy, a team of researchers including two from Washington University in St. Louis demonstrated that — by structuring the messaging in the right way — those taxpayers can be encouraged to save their returns for long-term needs or unforeseen emergencies.

As President Donald Trump prepares to offer his first State of the Union address, a new analysis by a Washington University in St. Louis sociologist may explain why the pronounced, decades-long expansion of U.S.-based hate groups has slowed to a crawl during the first year of his administration.

David and Louise Turpin have been accused of abusing their 13 children for years inside their California home, a case that has captured international attention. What should you do to try to better recognize signs of abuse in your neighborhood? The bottom line: If you think a child is in danger or is being hurt, call a hotline, says a child abuse expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Two important factors seem to explain black American adolescents’ experiences with teacher-based racial discrimination – religiosity and racial pride, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis has won a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help transform doctoral training in the humanities.

As economists float the proposal to give every U.S. newborn a “baby bond” account, Michael Sherraden, professor at the Brown School, says a solution already exists — Child Development Accounts, a policy concept first proposed in his groundbreaking 1991 book, “Assets and the Poor.”

Child abuse and neglect, also called “child maltreatment,” too often endanger the health, well-being and even lives of children. How do we solve this problem? Two professors at the Brown School offer advice in a new book titled, “After the Cradle Falls: What Child Abuse Is, How We Respond To It, And What You Can Do About it.”