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Sandy Springs City School District Would Be Financially Feasible, Study Says

July 22, 2019

A study co-authored by Christine Ries, a professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Economics, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Sandy Springs City School District Would Be Financially Feasible, Study Says” for Reporter Newspapers, July 22.

Here's an excerpt:

A study commissioned by a Sandy Springs group advocating for a city school district has found creating one would be financially feasible.

The study found Sandy Springs’ taxes would generate sufficient funding to operate the 11 public schools within the city’s borders, which are currently operated by the Fulton County School District. Projected revenues for a separate Sandy Springs school district would be approximately $163.3 million. Operating expenses were estimated to be $65.2 million.

The study, which is dated to April but just released, was authored by Kelly McCutchen, a senior fellow and former president and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, and Georgia Tech professor Christine P. Ries. Ries authored a similar study for Dunwoody in 2013. To read the study, click here.

Read the full story here.

The School of Economics is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Reporter Newspapers
Georgians Could Be Less Able to Control Power Bills by Reducing Use

July 19, 2019

Marilyn Brown, a Regents' and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Georgians Could Be Less Able to Control Power Bills by Reducing Use” for AJC, July 18.

Here's an excerpt:

Sizzling temperatures mean Atlanta’s air conditioners are churning and bills are rising. But millions of Georgians may soon have less ability to reduce their electric bills just by easing back on the AC and turning off lights.

Georgia Power has asked state regulators to let it nearly double a fixed fee included on customers’ monthly bills. The increase, part of a broader $2.2 billion rate increase the company recently requested,would the give Georgia Power one of the highest fixed base charges among major utilities nationwide.

Read the full story here.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: AJC
Stranger Than Sci-Fi

July 18, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media, and Communication Professor Lisa Yaszek was a featured speaker on the first episode of the BBC Radio 4 show, "Stranger Than Sci-Fi," July 17.

Excerpt:

Astro-physicist Dr Jen Gupta and comedian Alice Fraser travel the parallel worlds of science and sci-fi.

Starting with the latest books and films, they discover real life science that sounds too strange to be true - from babies grown in bags, via black hole Jacuzzis, to flowers that behave like our ears.

Each programme starts with imagined futures and ends with today’s latest scientific research, exploring along the way how each impacts the other. This episode dives into the science behind Anne Charnock's book, Dreams Before The Start Of Time, which imagines a future where babies can be grown in artificial wombs. How close is modern technology to making this a reality?

The episode can be streamed in its entirety here.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: BBC
Study Examines Diversity, Social Mistrust

July 18, 2019

School of Economics Associate Professor Willie Belton's research was profiled in the Phys.org article "Study Examines Diversity, Social Mistrust," July 15.

Here's an excerpt:

Some researchers have argued for years that high rates of ethnic diversity in a community can eat away at social capital, the interconnectedness among neighbors that helps give rise to a functioning society. A new study led by a Georgia Institute of Technology economist has found new data-based evidence for that theory that also may help explain why it happens.

Instead of relying on behavioral survey data, as key prior studies have, Associate Professor Willie Belton and his coauthors looked at 15 years of county-level U.S. Census data with details on black, Latino, white, and Asian population, along with another data set tracking membership in social, religious, and political groups—measures researchers have argued are good proxies for social trust.

The full article can be read here.

The School of Economics is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Phys.org
2019’s Most & Least Energy-Expensive States

July 15, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Public Policy Associate Professor Daniel Matisoff was quoted in "2019’s Most & Least Energy-Expensive States" in WalletHub, July 3.

Excerpt:

"Get ready to crank up your air conditioner — and utility budget. July tends to be the hottest month of the year. So if you’re trying to beat the heat, this month’s higher-than-usual power bill could burn a hole through your wallet.

In the U.S., energy costs eat between 5 and 22 percent of families’ total after-tax income, with the poorest Americans, or 25 million households, paying the highest of that range. And lower energy prices don’t necessarily equate to savings. Where we live and how much energy we use are a big part of the equation."

Public Policy is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: WalletHub
China Hints at Xinjiang Policy Shift Ahead of Key Summit Chaired by Xi Jinping

July 12, 2019

Georgia Tech Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Professor F ei-Ling Wang was quoted in "China Hints at Xinjiang Policy Shift Ahead of Key Summit Chaired by Xi Jinping" in South China Morning Post, July 12.

Excerpt:

"Signs are emerging that Beijing may be preparing to hold a top policy meeting about the sensitive northwestern region of Xinjiang, where an estimated 1 million Uygur and other mostly Muslim minorities are reported to be held in internment camps.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua published a review on June 27 of the past five years in a move described as “preparing the ground” for the next Central Xinjiang Work Conference, which sets policy direction for the region."

The Nunn School is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: South China Morning Post
Yea or Neigh: Is 'Old Town Road' 2019's Song of the Summer?

July 10, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media, and Communication Assistant Professor Joycelyn Wilson was interviewed in "Yea or Neigh: Is 'Old Town Road' 2019's Song of the Summer?" by Georgia Public Broadcasting, July 3.

Excerpt:

Months back, Billboard yanked 'Old Town Road' from its Hot Country chart, after hearing complaints that, essentially, Atlanta native Lil Nas X and his music weren't country enough. Georgia Tech professor and music journalist Joycelyn Wilson begs to differ.

"Black people, blues music, is very much a part of the development of what we get as country," Wilson told On Second Thought. "That storytelling, that sound, and the role of black musicians in creating those stories and those sounds is very much indigenous to the music and the culture but maybe not the genre so much at this point."

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: Georgia Public Broadcasting
Amid Proposed MARTA Name Changes, A Look At The History And Cultural Importance Of 'Bankhead'

July 10, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media, and Communication Assistant Professor Joycelyn Wilson was interviewed in "Amid Proposed MARTA Name Changes, A Look At The History And Cultural Importance Of 'Bankhead'" by Georgia Public Broadcasting, July 10.

Excerpt:

MARTA is considering renaming five train stations in Atlanta. It's an effort to keep up with changes in the city and to reflect surrounding neighborhoods.

One station proposed to be re-christened: Bankhead. The area was named after the highway that ran through it, which was in turn named after an Alabama family. But the Bankhead name is perhaps more closely associated with the torrent of rap and hip hop that grew from Atlanta's Westside and nearby neighborhoods. So, what's in the name "Bankhead"?

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: Georgia Public Broadcasting
A Universe of One's Own

July 9, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media, and Communication Professor Lisa Yaszek's science fiction anthology The Future is Female was reviewed by The New York Review of Books in "A Universe of One's Own", July 18.

Excerpt:

“Write me a creature who thinks as well as a man, or better than a man, but not like a man.” This was the challenge the influential science-fiction editor John Campbell famously issued his authors in the 1940s. It was aimed at producing aliens as fully formed as the interstellar human travelers who encounter them. Isaac Asimov thought the best example was a creature named Tweel from Stanley Weinbaum’s “A Martian Odyssey,” a story from 1934 that preceded the dictum. But the instruction also has the feel of a riddle, and neither Campbell nor Asimov considered its most obvious answer: a woman.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: The New York Review of Books
Under Trump, The Fight Against Cybersecurity Has Waned

June 27, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Public Policy alum Ishan Mehta wrote "Under Trump, The Fight Against Cybersecurity Has Waned" in Wired, June 20.

Excerpt:

According to recent polling, Americans view malicious cyber activity as their top security concern—ahead of the economy, nuclear threats, and ISIL. This fear is well-justified. Within the last couple of years, there have been cyberattacks in the United States against the electoral system, the financial industry, the power grid, and hospitals.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: Wired
Who would win a US-Iran war? A strong and peaceful China

June 22, 2019

John Garver, a professor emeritus in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, wrote “Who would win a US-Iran war? A strong and peaceful China,” South China Morning Post, June 22.

The leaders of both China and Iran have long been focused on restoring a national greatness that was lost when Western powers remade the world during the European, Japanese and American expansionism of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Find the article on the South China Morning Post website.

Published in: South China Morning Post
Horses in the Back

June 21, 2019

Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media, and Communication Assistant Professor Joycelyn Wilson wrote "Horses in the Back" in The Bitter Southerner, June 17.

Excerpt:

Let’s say it again for those in the back: Trap music is the most significant cultural innovation to arise from Southern hip hop — and one of the most critical discoveries in American black music over the last quarter century. The latest example comes from Montero Lamar Hill, the 20-year old Atlanta rapper named Lil Nas X who, in just six months, has disturbed the groove of the country music industry with his viral hit “Old Town Road.”

Lil Nas X has turned the discussion of cultural appropriation on its head … again.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: The Bitter Southerner
How States Foster Violent Extremism and What the United States Should Do About It

June 16, 2019

Lawrence Rubin, an associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, has co-authored with Nathaniel Allen and Michael Marcusa an article titled, "How States Foster Violent Extremism and What the United States Should Do About It" in Lawfare, June 16.

Authoritarian rule through patronage and repression can create political opportunities for extremists by generating popular resentment and causing local elites to abandon their state patrons, leaving a power vacuum. This disruption and disorder may take years to come to the surface. When Qaddafi seized power in 1969, Libya’s Cyrenaica region, a bastion of resistance against colonial rule and support for the former regime, became politically and economically marginalized.

Find the article on Lawfare.

Published in: Lawfare
Want to Fix the Tech Industry? Start With the Humanities.

June 13, 2019

Georgia Tech School of History and Sociology Chair Eric Schatzberg wrote “Want to Fix the Tech Industry? Start With the Humanities" in Washington Post, June 10.

Excerpt:

Steve Jobs once proclaimed that “technology alone is not enough.” Creating a better world, he repeatedly stressed, requires focus on people as well as technology, on the humanities as well as the sciences.

Jobs was right. But why? Because technology is about people as much as things. As a human endeavor, technology belongs as much to the humanities and social sciences as to the natural sciences. Technologies arise only when people consciously transform the material world for human ends. Without the humans who create, maintain and use technologies, they would not exist.

The School of History and Sociology is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: Washington Post
Scholars Lead Push on Developing Independent, Transnational Centers to 'Vet' Cyber-Attack Attributions

June 10, 2019

Georgia Tech Public Policy Professor Milton Mueller was quoted in “Scholars Lead Push on Developing Independent, Transnational Centers to 'Vet' Cyber-Attack Attributions" in Inside Cybersecurity, May 30.

Excerpt:

"A notable group of academics is developing what can be described as a peer-review process for attributions of cyber attacks, amid greater recognition of the effectiveness of private-sector efforts in the field and a closer examination of the relationship between attribution and deterrence."

T he School of Public Policy is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: Inside Cybersecurity
China's Push for Megacities: Is Bigger Better?

June 7, 2019

Georgia Tech Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Professor F ei-Ling Wang wrote “China's Push for Megacities: Is Bigger Better?" in the China-Britain Business Council's publication, FOCUS Magazine, June 4.

Excerpt:

"In 1978, before Deng Xiaoping's Opening Up and Reform policy, only 18 percent of China's population lived in urban areas. Over the next 40 years, as the economy boomed, that number swelled to well over three quarters of a billion people, and, by 2030, a billion people are expected to live in China's cities."

The Nunn School is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: FOCUS
Rare earths: Beijing threatens a new front in the trade war.

June 3, 2019

Yujia He, a Sam Nunn School of International Affairs doctoral alumna, was quoted in “Rare earths: Beijing threatens a new front in the trade war.” Financial Times, June 3.

“It would be difficult to make it hit just the US,” Yujia He, of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Institute for Emerging Market Studies, says of any eventual Chinese restrictions on exports.

Find the article on the Financial Times website.

Published in: Financial Times
A Global Conversation with General Philip Breedlove

May 29, 2019

General Phil Breedlove, former 17th Supreme Commander Europe of NATO and now Distinguished Professor and Senior Fellow in the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, was interviewed in "A Global Conversation with General Philip Breedlove." The Cipher Brief, May 29.

I don’t think any of this is settled yet. What’s happening here is that you see a Russian information campaign aimed at influencing the United States. Russia is trying to show that it is embracing Turkey, and Turkey is embracing back, and that they’re going to be future partners in everything. Remember that these are two countries that almost went to war over the shooting down of an airliner not too long ago. What we see at this point may or may not play out, that they buy the S-400 from Russia.

Read the article on The Cipher Brief website.

Published in: The Cipher Brief
Tech transfer to China 'needs scrutiny

May 23, 2019

Margaret Kosal, an associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was cited in "Tech transfer to China 'needs scrutiny," Research Europe, May 23.

Margaret Kosal, who studies emerging technologies and security at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, agreed that US government measures are insufficient. But making researchers, companies or institutions responsible for spotting which technologies have nefarious uses would probably be ineffective and stifle innovation, according to Kosal.

Find the article on Research Europe website.

Published in: Research Europe
10 Years in and the Economic Recovery Keeps Chugging Along

May 13, 2019

Georgia Tech Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Professor of Practice Dennis Lockhart wrote “10 Years in and the Economic Recovery Keeps Chugging Along" in The Hill, May 13.

Excerpt:

"This summer the U.S. economy will achieve a noteworthy milestone: 10 years of growth. According to official GDP reports, our economy has been expanding since the summer of 2009.

The pace of growth was quite modest for several years after 2009 but has recently picked up. Barring a sharp downturn, the expansion will very likely set the record for the longest in U.S. history."

The Nunn School is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Read the full article.

Published in: The Hill