Gun violence pressures elected officials to make reforms

With three mass shooting within a week leaving 24 Californians dead, public policy makers are searching for answers. • Six people on Jan. 16 were found fatally shot inside a home in the Central Valley community of Goshen, Calif., in a case police believe could be tied to organized crime...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

Music and ayahuasca’s role in treating substance use disorders in men

UC Riverside researcher finds the crucial role icaros, traditional Peruvian songs, play during ayahuasca healing ceremonies.

UCR's founding School of Public Policy dean to step down after a groundbreaking run

As Anil Deolalikar prepared to step down this week as the founding dean of UCR’s School of Public Policy, he reflected on a groundbreaking career marked by repeatedly choosing a more challenging path. Consider when he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics at Harvard University in 1977 with...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

Culturally-informed mental health screenings improve student, school and community successes

As concerns about youth mental health, school shootings, and other forms of violence prompt more school systems to conduct mental health screenings, a UC Riverside-led analysis is urging school officials to proceed with deference to student family, cultural, and community backgrounds. Mental health screenings that focus solely on identifying at-risk...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

Does Ticketmaster have a monopoly?

Two UCR experts to weigh in on whether Ticketmaster is a monopoly and should be subjected to antitrust action.

By UCR News | | Social Science / Education, Business

'Rockonomics' professor: Ticketmaster gets a bad rap

A chaotic rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour has drawn renewed scrutiny of whether Ticketmaster unfairly dominates the ticketing industry. We asked Carolyn Sloane, a UC Riverside economics professor, whether Ticketmaster has outsized influence on ticket prices. Sloane teaches a "Rockonomics" course and is a "Swiftie" — a...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education, Business

Elon Musk: An 'arbitrary' town hall moderator

In October, Elon Musk took control of Twitter in a $44 billion deal, saying he hoped to enhance Twitter’s mission as “a digital town square." His changes to moderation practices have since led civil rights groups to allege his actions will increase hate speech and misinformation. This week, Musk’s Twitter...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Is Swift retribution in the offing for Ticketmaster?

A chaotic rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour has drawn renewed scrutiny of whether Ticketmaster unfairly dominates the ticketing industry, a charge that first surfaced in earnest in a 1990s skirmish with the grunge band Pearl Jam. We asked UCR experts whether Ticketmaster is a monopoly and should...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

UCR expert: President Biden’s new same-sex marriage law ‘is a reminder that a right won is not a right secured’

The Respect for Marriage Act ‘seems to be an evolution on same-sex marriage support. But I want to caution that we don’t conflate that with LGBTQ support.’

Skip the angry-letter-never-sent; try a grateful one

It’s long been said that writing an angry letter – but not mailing it —– is an effective way of venting without backlash. UC Riverside researchers say the converse — penning letters-never-sent expressing gratitude — carries a benefit, as well. There is an entire area of study in psychology devoted...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Are you voting for a populist candidate?

Study highlights potential for populist leaders to undermine democracy.

Culture war battles at schools harm public education, UC report finds

Educators have sought to avoid controversy by pulling back on teaching lessons in civics, politics, and the history and experiences of America’s minority communities.

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

China response is less visible, not less dangerous

In wake of a renewed COVID-19 lockdown, Chinese citizens protested openly in the streets the past several days. It's a rare display in China, where civil unrest is historically greeted with harsh government recriminations. We asked UCR professors Perry Link and Rich Carpiano to weigh in. Link co-translated The Tiananmen...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Author revisits lessons of prison yoga

The narrative surrounding the virtues of yoga instruction inside prisons is incomplete, according to a UC Riverside professor who taught yoga in prisons for several years and has written a book about the experience. “There is a false narrative, which is ‘if you improve yourself, you won’t get incarcerated,’” said...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

1,700-year-old spider monkey remains discovered in Teotihuacán, Mexico

The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey — seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico — grants researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers. The discovery was made by Nawa Sugiyama, a UC Riverside anthropological archaeologist, and a team of...

Apple TV+ series features UCR professor as 'gratitude expert'

The lessons in today’s preschool animated series are a moonshot from the anvil-dropping antics of their parents’-parents’ generation. Case in point: UC Riverside psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky is the “gratitude expert” for a new preschool animated series from Apple TV+, “Sago Mini Friends.” The concept of gratitude is writ large...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Unwritten history: Seattle, a city built by immigrants and Indigenous people

‘Seattle from the Margins,’ a new book by assistant professor Megan Asaka points to the overseen contributions of the Duwamish, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, and other immigrant communities.

UCR pundits predict Democrats will take the Senate

Most political scientists and prognosticators predict a GOP win in the U.S. House of Representativeson Nov. 8, and so much of the media’s focus has turned to a tighter suite of contests – those for U.S. Senate seats. UC Riverside political scientists and other social scientists were polled recently on...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Prop 30: A lift for rideshare companies, at the expense of the uber-rich?

Proposition 30 would call for Californians earning more than $2 million per year to help fund zero-emission vehicle purchases and infrastructure, and — to a lesser extent — to fund wildfire response and prevention. It would generate between $3.5 to $5 billion annually by taxing the personal incomes of 35,000...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Taking photos of slides helps students remember

Students often take camera-phone photos of slides during an instructor’s presentation. But the question has lingered whether this practice helps students remember information. A first-of-its-kind study answers the question, finding that taking pictures of PowerPoint slides during an online presentation helped students remember the slide content better than for slides...