Schar School of Policy and Government

If the federal government shuts down, the economic impact on the Washington, D.C., regional economy will depend largely on the length of time workers are away from their jobs, a George Mason University professor said.

Every year, the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program brings the best undergraduate students to the nation’s capital for a six-week program that provides experiential opportunities towards a career in international affairs. This past summer, Leohana Carrera, a government and international politics major at the Schar School of Policy and Government, earned her spot in this prestigious program.

It might be time to bring back earmarks. Did earmarks, as part of doing business in the United States government, add pork barrel projects to the budget process? Sure. Were they abused and traded for bribes and political favors? Of course.

Deciding the outcome of a tied Virginia House of Delegates race by pulling a name out of a stoneware bowl should force the state General Assembly to better codify what constitutes a valid ballot, a George Mason University professor said.

The Washington Post-Schar School poll, in its second survey beyond Virginia politics, proved remarkably accurate in gauging voter sentiment in Alabama’s senatorial race.

When the U.S. Postal Inspection Service assigned forensic chemist Stephanie Smith to a temporary assignment to support the Security and Crime Prevention Group, one of her first duties was to write the job description of a new permanent scientific advisor position.

The United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital, and plans to relocate the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv, could prompt a violent reaction from the Arab and Muslim worlds, a George Mason University professor said, and decrease U.S. influence in the Middle East.

A little more than a year into a Virginia-oriented political polling partnership, George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and the Washington Post have expanded the scope of polling to include surveys on topics with national interest.

Higher taxes and more expensive health care could have “a devastating effect on the rural poor and those on Indian reservations,” said Tonya Neaves, director of the Centers on the Public Service at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

How countries invest in their own economic futures is key to raising the standard of living, developing innovation and avoiding internal and external conflicts, said Schar School of Policy and Government professor Zoltan Acs.