Politics
COVID Outcomes in Two States Show That Leadership Matters
Yale SOM’s Anjani Jain and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld on how the rhetoric and policies of Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Ned Lamont of Connecticut have shaped their states’ responses to the resurgence of COVID-19—with profound implications for their constituents.
Business Leaders Mobilize for a Fair Vote
As the U.S. approaches a divisive election, writes Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, business leaders are calling for patience while ballots are counted and a peaceful transfer of power.
![Ballots in a sorting machine at the Santa Clara County registrar of voters office in October 2020. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.]()
Can We Talk about Politics at Work?
We asked Heidi Brooks, who studies organizational behavior and pioneered the course Everyday Leadership, for her advice on how organizations can respond positively to strong opinions and emotions around political issues—both during election season and after the votes have been cast.
![An illustration of people reading newspapers with election news.]()
On COVID-19 Vaccines, Big Pharma Knows to Just Say ‘No’
In the face of pressure from President Donald Trump, nine major pharmaceutical companies have signed a pledge to complete testing before submitting vaccines for approval. Yale's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Dr. Albert Ko write that the drugmakers’ caution may help provide badly needed confidence in the eventual vaccine.
![Moncef Slaoui, lead scientist on Operation Warp Speed, with President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a press conference on vaccine development in May 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.]()
What Kamala Harris’s Nomination Means for Women’s Equality
If Joe Biden is elected this November, Kamala Harris would be the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. We asked Prof. Oriane Georgeac, who studies perceptions of diversity, if Harris’s nomination heralds an acceleration of progress for women generally.
![Kamala Harris campaigning in Iowa in February 2019. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images.]()
Please Mr. Postman
Some have defended cutbacks to the United States Postal Service, weeks ahead of the election, by citing the USPS’s financial struggles. But the postal service was created to provide a public service, writes Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, not to turn a profit.
![A USPS worker wearing a mask puts envelopes in a mailbox while driving past]()
Don’t Use COVID-19 as an Excuse to Turn Away Skilled Immigrants
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to limit immigration for skilled workers in order to boost employment for domestic workers. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that such a move would stifle innovation and even endanger Americans’ health.
![New U.S. citizens recite the the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York City in September 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.]()
How Should the U.S. Government Respond to COVID-19?
On March 12, a group of public health experts assembled by Yale SOM’s Dr. Howard Forman released a proposal for a set of emergency public health, healthcare, and emergency support measures to respond to the growing COVID-19 outbreak.
![Federal officials testifying about the response to COVID-19 at a House Oversight Committee hearing on March 12, 2020. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images.]()
Study: Pharmaceutical Ads Drive Prescriptions—And Save Us All Money
Yale SOM’s Michael Sinkinson found that fewer people get life-savings statins during primary season, when pharmaceutical ads are displaced by political ads.
![Illustration of a pharmaceutical ad on a TV]()
How Meritocracy Worsens Inequality—and Makes Even the Rich Miserable
Yale Law School’s Daniel Markovits argues that rather than democratizing American society, meritocracy has contributed to increasing inequality and the decline of the middle class.
![An illustration of people in business attire starting a race with one ahead of the others]()
By Intervening in Disciplinary Process, Trump Weakens Military Command Structure
Leadership experts Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale SOM and General Thomas Kolditz of Rice University write that Trump’s interference in the Gallagher case violates a key principle of military law and undermines the military command structure.
![Former Navy]()
