Empirical Research
57 Articles
Flaws in (Use of) Harris Poll on Brennan’s Security Clearance
In a late Tuesday night tweet, President Donald Trump seized on an online survey’s apparent shock finding that a majority of Americans think John Brennan’s security clearance…
Information Operations are a Cybersecurity Problem: Toward a New Strategic Paradigm to Combat Disinformation
A call to shift efforts against disinformation into a cyber security paradigm, and to forge collaboration between independent academic researchers and tech companies.
Unpacking DOJ’s New Claim that DHS Can Legally Detain Migrant Children with Their Parents for Longer than Twenty Days
The Trump administration recently claimed it could not reunite migrant children with parents who are being held in ICE detention due to a court order requiring the government to…
Studies: Mass Detention of Migrant Families is Unnecessary, Inefficient
The administration’s turn toward mass detention of asylum seekers and migrants flies in the face of numerous empirical studies, including the government’s own statistics, that…
Detention of Migrant Families as “Deterrence”: Ethical Flaws and Empirical Doubts
The government's own statistics prove the very opposite of what the Justice Department just told a federal court about the deterrent effects of family detention. But let's start…
Most Americans Disagree With Trump Admin’s Enforcing Travel Ban Against Grandparents
One of the hotly contested questions in the Travel Ban litigation is the definition of “close family relationships.” The Supreme Court told the administration that it cannot…
Why It Does Not Matter Who Rachel Brand Is
Last week, amid speculation that Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein may be forced to recuse himself from the expanding Russia investigation – unless he gets fired first –…
Will Protests Against Trump and Congressional Republicans Matter?
For grassroots organizing, it helps to be in the opposition. We are beginning to see a blossoming of liberal and left wing organizing to oppose President Trump and the Republican…
Do Public Protests Matter in a Democracy? The “outside strategy” as a signal of support to judges and bureaucrats
Opponents of President Donald trump mobilized record crowds to protest his anticipated policies – and the President and congressional Republicans largely ignored them. One…
The U.S. Constitution and the Risk of Democratic Backsliding
Is there a real possibility of the erosion of democratic institutions toward authoritarianism in the United States? What can the experience of other countries tell us about how…
The ICRC Survey and Torture: A Glass Two-Thirds Full?
As indicated by Ryan Goodman in a recent Just Security post, the report, “People on War: Perspectives from 16 Countries,” by the International Committee of the Red Cross, provides…
Another Look at the New ICRC Survey: Glimmers of Hope?
During his campaign, Donald Trump publicly endorsed torture, indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, and killing civilians with familial ties to members of ISIS—all of which…