Hey everyone! This week we’ve got timely takes on the death penalty, disgruntled air travelers, and the shortcomings of the U.S. tax system. We’ve also got a new podcast episode on the Koch Brothers and American democracy. So settle in and see below for some serious sociology!

Office Hours:

Theda Skocpol on the Koch Network with Jack Delehanty. In our latest podcast episode, we talk with Professor Skocpol about how the Koch Brothers have transformed American democracy, and whether any corollaries are emerging on the political left.

There’s Research on That!:

Border Walls and Symbolic Boundaries,” by Edgar Campos. Trump’s wall would be more than just a physical barrier, it would also intensify the symbolic boundaries that reinforce national and racial identities in the United States.

Racial and Regional Differences in Support for the Death Penalty,” by Caity Curry. Issues in Arkansas and the Supreme Court have brought the death penalty back into the media spotlight, so we rounded up research on this “peculiar institution” and why it remains resilient today.

Discoveries:

Who’s ‘One of the Guys?’ Navigating Gender in the Tech Industry,” by Edgar Campos. New research in Gender & Society finds that gender-fluid women are more likely to be perceived as competent tech workers.

Clippings:

Double-Booked and Discontented Airline Passengers,” by Edgar Campos. The New York Times talked with Elizabeth Popp Berman about why there is so much hostility on airplanes.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Immigration Data Tools,” by Rose Malinowski Weingartner.

Chump Change.” Viewpoints on taxes, their shortfalls, and who pays the price.

Council on Contemporary Families:

The Use and Abuse of Millennials as an Analytic Category,” by Frank Furstenberg.

Some Men Try to Compensate for Relative Loss of Income to Women. How They Do So Varies,” by Dan Cassino.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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