Month: September 2016

Culture and Society

Policing, Profiling, and Crime

Ron Berger and Marvin Free — In the current presidential campaign, Donald Trump has positioned himself as the “law and order” candidate and an advocate of aggressive “stop-and-frisk” policing practices in some urban communities. This policy, which is praised by some as vital to police effectiveness and criticized by others as racially discriminatory, remains controversial. Fortunately, there is a considerable amount of criminological research that … Continue reading Policing, Profiling, and Crime

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Culture and Society

What Research Says about Immigration and Crime

Ron Berger — In July 2015 the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by illegal immigrant Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez reignited political discussions about the link between immigration and crime. Donald Trump, of course, has led the charge, claiming that illegal immigrants are running rampant throughout country committing violent crimes. In doing so, Trump has gone farther than his predecessors in trying to exploit this … Continue reading What Research Says about Immigration and Crime

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Culture and Society, Politics and Economics

Disability in Society: Four Public Agendas

Ron Berger — I am a sociologist by training and have been thinking about and studying disability as a social phenomenon, not just as an individual experience, for many years. In the tradition of C. Wright Mills, who famously coined the term “sociological imagination,” I have sought to illuminate the ways in which personal troubles are related to public issues. In this article, I highlight … Continue reading Disability in Society: Four Public Agendas

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Books, Politics and Economics

Austerity is a Greek Tragedy

Jeff Berger — In his most recent book Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice: The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe (Yale University Press, 2016), James K. Galbraith explains the modern Greek tragedy, which is really the tragedy of Europe that seems to be on a downward slide. Galbraith is a professor of economics at the University of Texas where he became friends with … Continue reading Austerity is a Greek Tragedy

Jeff Berger2 Comments