Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on The Conversation.
When it comes to democracy, the kids aren’t all right.
Research recently presented by Roberto Foa and Yascha Mounk shows growing disillusionment with democracy – not just with politics or campaigns, but with democracy itself.
This growth is worldwide, but it is especially strong among young Americans. Fewer than 30 percent of Americans born since 1980 say that living in a democracy is essential. For those born since 1970, more than one in five describe our democratic system as “bad or very bad.” That’s almost twice the rate for people born between 1950 and 1970. Continue reading Focus on research: Young voters embrace Sanders, but not democracy→
Editor’s note: This column originally appeared on Penn State News through a partnership between the Rock Ethics Institute and Penn State Today. You are invited to ask a question by filling out and submitting this form. An archive of the columns can be found on the Rock Ethics Institute website.
Question: My boss asked me to create a marketing campaign for a new client, but the client’s environmental record is poor. Sustainability and protecting the environment is something that I am extremely passionate about. I’m worried that saying “no” to the assignment will upset my boss. Should I go against my morals and complete the assignment since it’s my job or should I stick with my instincts and say no?
The ethicist responds: The decision to turn down a work assignment can generate anxiety for an employee, especially for a young person or someone who is new to a company. On one hand, you may fear that refusing the assignment will limit your future promotions or other opportunities with the company. Your fears have some grounding. Bosses sometimes see this kind of decision as a lack of loyalty to the company or an unwillingness to be flexible to meet the needs of the company. Continue reading Focus on research: Can I turn down a work assignment that goes against my morals?→
In an effort to bring the arts and the sciences together, the Millennium Café hosted both the Pennsylvania Quintet and geoscientist Richard Alley at this week’s event.
The Pennsylvania Quintet Wind Ensemble performing at the Millennium Café on the morning of Jan. 26.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Centre Daily Times as an installment of the paper’s Focus on Research column. Focus on Research highlights research projects and topics being explored across all disciplines at Penn State. Each column features the work of a different researcher.
For grammar nerds such as myself, this is an exciting time. We are experiencing a massive shift in the language thanks to the pronoun “they.”
Earlier this month, the American Dialect Society voted the singular they as its 2015 word of the year. Regarding they, voters “singled out its newer usage as an identifier for someone who may identify as ‘non-binary’ in gender terms,” the group said in a statement on its website. Continue reading Focus on research: How ‘they’ is causing waves in language and society→
It might be a common assumption that high-growth companies are largely based in Silicon Valley. But Penn State economist Stephan Goetz says that’s not so. In a study of Inc. Magazine’s list of 5,000 high-growth companies, Goetz and colleagues discovered that “these firms are found in many different sectors, not just in the high tech space, and … these companies are found across the United States.”
In this case, “high growth” refers to revenue, which in turn measures the expansion of operation and improvement in efficiency. For more about this study, visit the Penn State News site to read the story by Matt Swayne.
