Experts in the News

When it comes to borrowing and spending, particularly in times of crisis, the answer is complicated, public finance fellow John Diamond said.  “At the beginning of the pandemic … all of the emergency measures definitely made sense ... The federal government really had no choice but to respond aggressively." But Diamond argued it is more difficult to justify the second stimulus bill in December, and the most recent $1.9 trillion package passed during the Biden administration, since the economy has started to recover.

“There isn’t any evidence of [voter fraud], but the belief is very strong and thereby we have a lot of pressure among [Republicans] for their elected officials to do something about it,” said political science fellow Mark Jones.

The Texas GOP retained its House majority in the last election, and is in a position to draw tailor-made legislative districts that will increase its prospects of retaining control of the Texas Senate and House during the next decade. Political science fellow Mark Jones explained how redistricting works, whether it's transparent and who it affects the most.

Although Texans 16 and over are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we’re not out of the woods yet, said health economics fellow Vivian Ho. “We do have a problem of disparity — people who don’t have access to the internet and good transportation are at a disadvantage,” as are the uninsured, who don’t have convenient access to the vaccine through their doctor. ”It’s not enough to widen the criteria. What we need to do is put more resources and creativity into delivering vaccines" in such communities, said Ho.

Could Gov. Greg Abbott's push to restrict voting expansions and eliminate drive-through voting in Texas hurt Republicans more than Democrats?  Urban politics fellow Bob Stein discussed the issue with Ernie Manouse.