What would you ask the presidential candidates?
As presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris prepare for their first and as-yet-only scheduled debate on Sept. 10, Americans are eager to hear their stances on a variety of issues.
Scholars at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, with expertise spanning cancer research, family dynamics, science funding and social movements, have questions for the candidates regarding issues they believe deserve more attention.
Family and Society
What specific programs and policies will your administration champion to combat the public health issue of parental stress and mental health? — Darby Saxbe, Professor of Psychology; Founder Director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Changing Family
The United States Surgeon General just issued a public health advisory warning that parents are under significant stress, which can severely affect their mental health. Research has found that moms and dads now spend more time both working and caring for their children than parents did in the 1980s. Child care prices have risen more than 25% over the past 10 years.
Many parents are performing dual caregiving roles; a quarter of U.S. adults live with a parent over 65 and a child under 18. Nearly 50% of moms and dads say their daily stress is completely overwhelming, compared to 26% of other adults.
Saxby is a recognized expert on the biological and social processes that take place within the interpersonal context of the family. Her main lines of research include investigating the impact of family environments and family transitions on parents and exploring the impact of family environments on children.
As president, what will you do to re-engage major religious groups to build a more thoughtful and civil democratic public square in the United States? — Richard Wood, president of the USC Dornsife Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies
Since the nation’s founding, religion has contributed in considerable ways to American civic and democratic life. Many major social reform movements that changed policy, such as the abolition of slavery, the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, farmworker organizing of the 1970s, and pro-life campaigns have been rooted in religion. Lately, however, political discourse has become much more secularized. When religion is invoked, it’s often narrowly partisan and sometimes uncivil.
Still, religion remains a central consideration for many Americans. Nearly a quarter identify with a specific faith, and about half of those say their faith is highly important to them.
Richard Wood’s research and writing focus on religion, faith-based community organizing and global sociology. He is the author of two award-winning books, A Shared Future: Faith-Based Organizing for Racial Equity and Ethical Democracy and Faith in Action: Religion, Race, and Democratic Organizing in America.
What policies will you enact as president to incentivize localities to build more housing? — Matthew Kahn, Provost Professor of Economics and Spatial Sciences
Each fall, I teach undergraduate urban economics at USC Dornsife, focusing my lectures on the causes and consequences of high home prices in desirable states like California. My students understand that high demand combined with limited supply drives prices up. As a property owner in Los Angeles, I am delighted that home prices are high. As an educator, I am deeply concerned that my students will have limited access to achieving their own “American Dream.”
Given that every locality, including places such as Berkeley and Santa Monica, has the right to determine its local land use regulations, I’m curious how each of the administrations plan to influence these policies.
Matthew Kahn is the author of 11 books on topics ranging from the economic effects of climate change to the new remote-work economy. With positions at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, his research focuses on urban and environmental economics.
What will you do to decrease polarized politics in our national government? — Paul Lichterman, Professor of Sociology and Religion
Across the political spectrum, Americans say it’s distressing that our country is politically polarized, making it more difficult for Washington to make progress on issues that matter.
In the U.S., political scientists and sociologists find that political polarization has been increasing. They see a growing divide regarding the issues people consider most important, and note that Americans tune in to different news sources depending on their political affiliations.
Unfortunately, this issue is less likely to be discussed directly by politicians than issues people vote on or stake their identities on.
Paul Lichterman studies, among other topics, civic organizations and social movements, culture, religion and morality. His research asks how people work to address social problems in a socially unequal, culturally diverse society.
Science and Health
What are your plans to support fundamental, basic science research, particularly in physics and other physical sciences? — Vera Gluscevic, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy
For the past decade, the United States has focused on advancements in applied sciences and computation. However, the most crucial breakthroughs are ultimately based on a strong portfolio of fundamental research. Funding for fundamental research has not kept pace with developments in applied sciences in recent years, threatening to put the U.S. at a disadvantage in science, technology, engineering and other areas.
Vera Gluscevic is a cosmologist who combines theoretical astroparticle physics and astronomical data analysis to probe dark matter, dark energy and the processes that shaped the universe. Her research includes developing new ways to observe cosmic history in pursuit of understanding the fundamental fabric of nature.
How will you bring the country’s investment in science aimed at producing better cancer outcomes to align with the private sector’s investment in innovation, such as what a single social media company is putting into AI, currently 500% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget? — Peter Kuhn, University Professor; Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences; Professor of Biological Sciences, Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Urology
Despite being a nation built on innovation, federal investment in science and our future has stalled, allowing global competitors to pass us by. Even some corporations invest more in research than the federal government. Meta, for example, invests $40 billion annually in AI — five times the National Cancer Institute’s entire budget of $7 billion. Innovation in cancer care can produce better outcomes for all Americans, but this can only happen with stronger federal investment in research.
Peter Kuhn is the founder and director of the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer, or CSI-Cancer. His research aims to advance personalized medicine and individualized patient care by translating clinical data into a mechanistic understanding of the physical and biological underpinnings of cancer dynamics.
Environment and Sustainability
In addressing climate change, how will you minimize the near-term pains for Americans whose livelihoods depend upon the status quo? — Joe Árvai, Dana and David Dornsife Chair; Wrigley Institute Director; Professor of Psychology, Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies
The widely accepted strategies to address climate change will come with major near-term costs in exchange for long-term gain. The near-term pain will come in the form of very large capital expenditures, policies that are unpopular for many, and the displacement of many existing jobs. These near-term pains will eventually give way to long-term gains in economic and competitive strength, new job creation, and social and environmental benefits.
While the pain will not be permanent, it will nevertheless be difficult to endure for those whose livelihoods are currently tied to the fossil fuel economy. I can’t look my neighbors in the eye as a leader of a sustainability institute and call for an aggressive position in climate change without acknowledging how hard it’s going to be for them and their families. We can’t just cut our neighbors off at the knees.
Joe Árvai is director of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, based at USC Dornsife. His research centers on people’s critical thinking, judgment and decision-making capabilities, focusing on improving understanding of how people intuitively make judgments and decisions about, primarily, environmental issues and sustainability.
How do you plan to navigate discussions across states and with other countries to improve how we tackle plastic pollution? — Megan Fieser, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Right now, there is no nationwide rule or even statewide rule on how companies should recycle. This ultimately means that rules change from county to county and aren’t often well-communicated for efficient and effective recycling. Additionally, there aren’t ways I am aware of to tackle greenwashing, which harms the general public’s perception of sustainable initiatives, as it is difficult to know what solutions are truly better. We need government to understand the complexity of the challenge, as the solutions are not going to be simple.
Megan Fieser uses molecular inorganic chemistry to address both the production of plastics and the collection and recycling and upcycling of used plastics. Her research aims to develop catalysts both to help synthesize degradable polymers to replace petroleum-based plastics and to improve degradation of current commercial polymers.
How will you assure voters that your administration’s energy policy won’t sacrifice long-term environmental sustainability and the economic stability and overall well-being of American families in favor of short-term industry gains for fossil fuel companies? — Manuel Pastor, Director of the USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute; Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity; Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change
My research has found that prioritizing fossil fuel profits harms vulnerable communities, worsens environmental damage and furthers economic inequality.
I argue in my latest book that energy policy should not be shaped by short-term benefits for a few but should aim to build a resilient and equitable economy. Investing in clean, renewable energy can reduce negative impacts, create green jobs, such as solar technicians, and lower energy costs nationwide. Focusing on sustainable energy projects protects the environment while also boosting economic growth and ensuring that all Americans, especially the most vulnerable, share in the benefits.
Manuel Pastor’s scholarship focuses on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities, and on the social movements surrounding those issues. He has served as a member of California’s Governor’s Task Force on Jobs and Business Recovery and Strategic Growth Council.