College of Social Sciences and Humanities

Should the US suspend federal pandemic unemployment benefits?

Members of Congress are locked in a stalemate over the details of another economic stimulus package for people and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hanging in limbo is a $600-per-week COVID unemployment benefit that millions of people in the U.S. had come to rely upon. Cutting it permanently could spell disaster for the country’s economy, says Northeastern economics professor William Dickens.

by Molly Callahan August 7, 2020

How did the Black Lives Matter movement get to where it is today?

Historical perspective on the civil rights movements of the past is offered by the Archives and Special Collections at the Northeastern Library. “Placing the current movement in a much longer time horizon really gives you critical context,” says Dan Cohen, dean of the university library.

by Ian Thomsen August 6, 2020

Think everyone will be clamoring to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Think again, a new national study says.

Two-thirds of U.S. residents say they will get a vaccination when one is available, but others may not because of fears of side effects or a lack of trust in the healthcare system, a new survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers has found.

by Peter Ramjug August 6, 2020

From penguins to plastic forks, she’s tackling sustainability

As a young teenager, Janet Cheung helped make Northeastern’s finance office run a bit more sustainably. Now an incoming freshman at the university, Cheung will use her passion to study the environment in earnest.

by Kaitlyn Budion August 4, 2020

Imagine leading a city through a pandemic and mass protests. Now imagine doing it from home.

Three mayors and one town manager in Massachusetts have had to do just that since February. Now, these leaders are thinking about ways to strengthen their communities after COVID-19.

by Khalida Sarwari August 3, 2020

Timely test results are necessary to slow the coronavirus. But a new study shows critical delays across the US.

More than 63 percent of U.S. residents are waiting longer than one to two days to get their coronavirus test results—delays that undermine the contact tracing that could identify individuals who are contagious but show no symptoms, according to results of a new survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers.

by Peter Ramjug August 3, 2020

How one restaurateur is surviving the pandemic

Running a restaurant of her own—much less three—isn’t where Zareen Khan thought she’d end up after graduating from Northeastern with a degree in economics. Now she is relying on her ingenuity and creativity to adapt to the unexpected challenges of the current crisis.

by Khalida Sarwari July 21, 2020

New survey shows ‘systematic decline’ in domestic approval for US leaders

Amid a record-breaking increase in new cases of SARS-CoV-2, which prompted some states to pause reopening plans, a new survey by Northeastern and other researchers shows that public approval of U.S. governors as well as President Donald Trump has dropped over the last couple of months.

by Khalida Sarwari July 9, 2020

What would it mean to ‘defund’ the police–and what would come next?

Questions on the future of U.S. police departments should be focused on reducing violence in disadvantaged communities, says Ben Struhl, executive director of the Center on Crime and Community Resilience at Northeastern.

by Ian Thomsen July 8, 2020

How COVID-19 is affecting support for mail-in voting

How will opinions change as cases across the country fluctuate—particularly in states, such as Arizona or Florida, where cases are rising sharply? That’s the question,…

by Cam Sleeper July 6, 2020