Bucknell Institute of Public Policy Archives

It’s time to say goodbye to the Electoral College

October 10, 2019

The Electoral College is one of the most crucial components of the American political system; yet, it is shockingly one of the least democratic. To give a short description of a fairly complicated process, the Electoral College elects U.S. presidents through a system of electors. Each state has a different...

BIPP: Impeachment: a polarizing process

Harry Morris, BIPP Intern

October 4, 2019

A recent poll conducted by YouGov shows that a majority of Americans approve of the recent impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump. But when taken into account political persuasion, it is clear that the nation is still divided. Democrats overwhelmingly approve of the inquiry, while about...

The U.N. Climate Summit 2019: A symbol of American environmental apathy

Annie Maley, BIPP Intern

September 27, 2019

A sixteen-year-old sailing across the ocean, hundreds of marches, inspiring speeches by climate activists — all proclaimed a global call to action on Sept. 20 for national governments and institutions to address climate change. This outpouring of support for comprehensive environmental policy made...

Soros and Trump: In agreement?

John Angileri, BIPP Intern

September 19, 2019

George Soros, billionaire liberal financier and founder of the Open Society Foundations, offered some (rare) praise as well as some criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump in his Sept. 9 op-ed posted in the Wall Street Journal. He admired the strong stance that the Trump administration has taken towards...

BIPP: In Memoriam: Martin Feldstein, 1939-2019

Trey Gaither, BIPP Intern

September 11, 2019

An infamous quote popularly attributed to Winston Churchill reads, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” This quote encapsulates the life of late Harvard economist Martin Feldstein (1939-2019). From his earliest days as a public figure in the United States,...

Sexual Harassment in America: Is Joe Biden Creepy or Caring?

Nicole Marrone, BIPP Intern

April 25, 2019

Politician Joe Biden – who is also an expected Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 election – has recently come into the media spotlight because of his hugging habit. Former Nevada lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Lucy Flores has claimed that Biden’s embrace made her incredibly uncomfortable,...

2020: Who’s running and what their candidacy means for the presidential election

Annie Maley, BIPP Intern

April 18, 2019

With the 2020 election still over a year away, the pool of candidates is already staggering. Nearly 20 Democratic candidates have publicly declared their candidacy, with others expected to announce very soon. Given the size of this crowd, it is important to take a look at who is running and what their...

BIPP: Cultural symbolism of the wall: from Texas to Berlin

Max Hubbauer and Yiwei Wang, BIPP Interns

April 4, 2019

With mounting pressure to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border and a recent threat by President Donald Trump of cutting off aid to several Central American countries, the United States has moved towards a self-imposed state of isolation, the likes of which have few historical counterparts. Facing uncertain...

New drugs, same inequality

Anthony Maisano, BIPP Intern

March 29, 2019

A new drug that aims to treat women suffering from postpartum depression has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug, technically known as brexanolone but commercially referred to as Zulresso, works in only 48 hours and has a significantly greater impact on postpartum depression...

BIPP: Proposed Budget Cuts Student Loan Funding & Encourages School Choice

Nicole Reddig, BIPP Intern

March 21, 2019

Among other controversial items, U.S. President Donald Trump’s newest budget proposal – which still requests money for a border wall – remains a demonstration of the administration’s ideas. Going further than past propositions, this budget proposal requests a 10 percent decrease in funding for...

BIPP: Facing rising Islamic terrorism in Nigeria: A hard pill to swallow

JP Stark and Yiwei Wang, BIPP Interns

February 28, 2019

When most people think of terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda or ISIS, they think of the Middle East. This is no longer the case, as the past decade has seen the dissemination of Islamist militant groups across Africa. Already fragile states have been propelled into further turmoil as these groups...

How Amazon’s decision impacts New York (and the Democratic party)

Anthony Maisano, BIPP Intern

February 21, 2019

Just 94 days after the landmark decision was made, Amazon has decided to axe their plans to open a headquarters in Queens, N.Y. Amazon cited political turmoil between the corporation and local politicians as the main reason for the change, releasing a statement stating, “a number of state and local...