The success of politicians in the U.S. largely depends on the amount of funding they receive from various sources. Traditionally, volunteers went door to door to solicit donations from individuals. Today, politicians use social media to encourage their supporters to donate and eventually vote for them. Many politicians have turned to this sort of political crowdfunding.
This year, an estimated 1 million people will perform the hajj, which is considered one of the five pillars in Islam. Chaos ensued in early June 2022 when Saudi Arabia announced a hajj “lottery” for Western pilgrims that made it mandatory for people from Europe, the Americas and Australia to apply for visas through a random draw through the Saudi government-backed website. Under the lottery, only 50,000 permits were allowed from these 50 countries, compared with 25,000 for U.K. Muslims alone in previous years.
The anti-abortion movement is often criticized as caring little about these matters. UMBC’s Laura Antkowiak, political science, who has studied the intersections of abortion and social welfare issues, I became intrigued by a large but little-known subset of anti-abortion activists who claimed to support women during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Despite various efforts to encourage more women to study STEM fields in college, the percentage of engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by women in the United States hasn’t increased much in the 21st century. Specifically, it has risen from 18% in 1998 to 22% in 2018, writes Danyelle Ireland, associate director of the Center for Women in Technology at UMBC.
“As a political scientist who studies voting and public opinion, I have my doubts about the true power of Trump’s endorsements,” says Ian Anson, assistant professor of political science at UMBC. “Instead, it is more likely that most of the candidates Trump has chosen to endorse were already on track to win their respective races.”
Making transportation systems safer isn’t rocket science. The key is for governments to prioritize safer roads, speeds and vehicles, and to promote policies such as traffic calming that are known to reduce the risk of crashes.
The White House has been left scrambling a little after President Joe Biden suggested on May 23, 2022, that the U.S. would intervene militarily should China attempt an invasion of Taiwan. Meredith Oyen, history and Asian studies, helps explain the background to Biden’s comments and untangles what should be read into his remarks – and what shouldn’t.
Camee Maddox-Wingfield, sociology, anthropology, and public health, first encountered bèlè as a graduate student in anthropology, conducting fieldwork in Martinique. As a former dancer, Maddox-Wingfield was drawn to how bèlè drummers, dancers, and singers experience spiritual and cultural freedom.
It took a pandemic for many to see that Black mothers face impossible choices. A UMBC sociologist centers Black mothers’ lived experiences to learn more.
Researchers found that in households with the greatest diaper need there is also a greater likelihood of other significant concerns, like depression.
Local governments provide many daily essential services. Disrupting their operations shakes confidence in the government and potentially endangers citizens.
Two experts find that older adults attempt to draw on personal experience to develop strategies to reduce privacy violations and security threats.
