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Politics and Policy

Why Are Bond Yields Soaring?

This week, bond yields rose above 5.6% for the first time since 2002. We asked Professor William English, a former Federal Reserve economist, what’s driving the increase and what it means for the Fed, the federal budget, and the broader economy.

Kevin Warsh taking questions at a news conference
  • How the New York Times’ Framing Shaped the Story of the Israel-Hamas War

    In a new study, Professor Edieal Pinker argues that the Times’ coverage created a narrative in which Israel was the primary actor and Hamas’s continuing role in the conflict received relatively little attention.

    The entrance to the New York Times building
  • Greater Transparency Brought Change to Police Departments—And Then a Reversal

    A study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Minjae Kim finds that departments that published traffic-stop data initially reduced stops in Black neighborhoods—but soon exceeded previous levels.

    Police vehicle with flashing emergency lights on a road at night.
  • How Communities Can Get a Better Deal from Data Centers

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, computer scientist and entrepreneur David Siegel, and co-author Stephen Henriques argue that the growing backlash against data centers should lead to stronger protections and enforceable community benefits—not an end to the AI infrastructure boom.

    Aerial view of a large data center under construction in an industrial area, with downtown Los Angeles in the distance.
  • A Prescription for Rebuilding Trust in the FDA

    The FDA should recommit to transparent, evidence-based decision-making, apply its standards consistently, and modernize its regulatory systems, argue Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Megan Ranney and Sten Vermund of the Yale School of Public Health, and Harvard neurologist Patricia Greenstein, with co-author Steven Tian.

    A view of a building through glass with the FDA logo on it.
  • When Essential Infrastructure Projects Involve Exceptional Risk, No Sector Can Go It Alone

    At the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Laura Alonzo ’96 mobilizes private investment in the developing and conflict-wracked economies that need it most.

    The M10 industrial park in Lviv, Ukraine
  • Inside the 25-Year Mission to Give India’s City Dwellers a Voice in Government

    Drawing on his experience at Yale SOM, his career in finance, and his first encounter with a New England town meeting, Ramesh Ramanathan ’91 returned to India with his wife, Swati, to help citizens shape the future of their communities.

    An aerial view of Bangalore, India.
  • Too Many Pro-Democracy Groups Are Weakening the Cause

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld argues that the proliferation of organizations fighting for democracy has divided resources, muddled messaging, and discouraged potential allies.

    A pro-democracy protest including an upside-down American flag reading "Save our Democracy"
  • How Trump Rewrites Defeat as Victory

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian argue that after falling short of his stated objectives in Iran, President Trump has turned to a familiar set of political and rhetorical tactics: declaring victory, redirecting public attention, and recasting friends as foes and foes as friends.

    Vice President J.D. Vance with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, during negotiations in Lucerne, Switzerland
  • The New Fed Chair Wants Less Transparency. That’s a Mistake.

    Yale SOM’s William English, a former Fed official, writes that a less communicative Fed could undermine monetary policy effectiveness, increase market volatility, and weaken democratic accountability.

    Kevin Warsh being sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas
  • Trump Has a Path Out of the Trade War. Will He Take It?

    By striking down Trump’s tariff authority, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian, the Supreme Court handed him a chance to retreat from a damaging trade war while claiming credit for a more effective negotiating strategy.

    Shipping containers in a port