The Duck of Minerva

COVID-19

Life in the Time of COVID: Planning for Non-Adherence

by | 2021-04-07 | COVID-19, Global Health | 0 Comments

If border closures are stopgaps that are costly and potentially illegal, then countries must explore additional options for dealing with infectious diseases.

A Gilded Age of Social Science: Big Data Governance, Neopositivist Social Science and Covid-19

by | 2021-03-31 | Academia, COVID-19, Theory & Methods | 0 Comments

As an American living in London, I wake up every morning and check statistics: the number of positive cases reported the prior day in both the UK...

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A Gilded Age of Social Science: Big Data Governance, Neopositivist Social Science and Covid-19

A Gilded Age of Social Science: Big Data Governance, Neopositivist Social Science and Covid-19

by | Mar 31, 2021 | , ,

As an American living in London, I wake up every morning and check statistics: the number of positive cases reported the prior day in both the UK and US, the number of deaths, hospitalizations and vaccine doses administered, the percentage of the population fully vaccinated and the number of days until the government promises to re-evaluate the lockdown’s end. These numbers determine when I might see my family again, when I might receive a vaccine or even when I might be able to meet a friend for a much-needed outdoor pint. Of course, beneath these numbers may lie unspeakable loss to...

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Are Women Leaders Better at Fighting COVID?

Are Women Leaders Better at Fighting COVID?

by | Feb 25, 2021 | , ,

This is a guest post from Courtney Burns and Leah Windsor. Burns is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Bucknell University. Windsor is a Research Assistant Professor in the Institute for Intelligent Systems and a Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Political Science at The University of Memphis. Follow her on Twitter @leahcwindsor. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, worldwide media heralded the leadership of women leaders like Jacinda Ardern and Erna Solberg for their ability to contain the spread of the virus, and the lethality within their countries' borders....

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Ant-Man as a metaphor for the modern professor

Ant-Man as a metaphor for the modern professor

by | Oct 27, 2020 | ,

In Marvel comics and movies, Ant-Man is a super-hero who can change his size using a special suit and "Pym particles." When giant, he's...giant. But when he's tiny he keeps the same density as a regular human, giving him the ability to lift and move things much bigger than his insect size. The idea of shrinking in size but having to shoulder the same--or greater--burden resonated with me, and in a way feels like a metaphor for the modern professor. This thought came to me in response to a recent email from my university. We have a hybrid set-up, with some students attending courses remotely...

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COVID: An Extraordinary Crisis, but Ordinary Political Patterns

COVID: An Extraordinary Crisis, but Ordinary Political Patterns

by | Oct 26, 2020 | ,

This is a guest post from Tana Johnson, an Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Her publications include the book Organizational Progeny: Why Governments Are Losing Control over the Proliferating Structures of Global Governance. COVID-19, which disregards national borders and threatens all countries, is a “problem without a passport.”  The usual prescription is to 1) work through international organizations (IOs), 2) collaborate on collective long-term solutions, and 3) defer to experts.  Yet in 2020, countries defied...

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