November 20th, 2009

Demography & Aging Center Receives Renewed NIA Funding to Support Series of Workshops on Demography Research

Stanford Health Policy has received five years of renewed support for its Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. The National Institute on Aging funding will help expand the center's initiative to inform the academic community about demography and economic research in the area of health and aging. Read more »

Is Japan's newly elected DPJ government anti-American or simply pro-Asian? Daniel Sneider comments in Foreign Policy

Since the Democratic Party of Japan won in the country's August national election, Japan watchers have worried that the new government might try to upset the status quo and ease away from the United States. The DPJ is implementing a new paradigm -- but not the one people think. Read more »

Final report now available for inaugural Stanford-Kyoto Dialogue, focused on energy and the environment

The inaugural Stanford-Kyoto Dialogue, held in Kyoto in Setember 2009, gathered established and rising experts from Stanford University across Asia to consider topics related to "Energy, Environment, and Economic Growth in Asia." Key sessions of the two-day meeting covered the geopolitics of energy in Asia, energy efficiency, clean technology, and post-Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions. The final report is now available. Read more »

SEAF Director Donald K. Emmerson debates "Islamism" in new book

Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam was published by Stanford University Press in November 2009. But the story behind the book dates back five years to November 2004. It was then that Donald K. Emmerson and Daniel Varisco -- who have each contributed a lead essay to this volume -- agreed to disagree. Read more »

November 19th, 2009

North Korea Unlikely to Give Up Nuclear Weapons

David Straub, associate director of Korean Studies Program, told a Korea Foundation-organized seminar in Seoul that he sees "no indication that North Korea, in the foreseeable future, is prepared to give up its nuclear weapons programs on terms that the US will find politically acceptable." While supportive of Ambassador Bosworth's upcoming visit to Pyongyang, Straub, a former State Department Korean affairs director, noted that North Korea's recent words and deeds had left most American observers increasingly skeptical about North Korean intentions.

• » AFP news (for complete article)

November 18th, 2009

Another al-Qa'ida 9/11 attack on U.S. unlikely, Crenshaw testifies

Martha Crenshaw, a CISAC senior fellow, testified Thursday, November 19, before the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment on the subject of "Reassessing the Evolving al-Qa'ida Threat to the Homeland." Read more »

PESD research fellow Varun Rai discusses the critical elements of effective international carbon offsets markets

In a new article in the Fall 2009 issue of the Harvard International Review PESD research fellow Varun Rai discusses the critical elements of effective international carbon offsets markets. The article argues that fundamental problems of perverse incentives and huge transaction costs render the clean development mechanism (CDM) unfit as the backbone of international carbon offsets markets post-2012. Instead, the article emphasizes the need for multilateral deals around large sectors that leverage synergies between climate change benefits and the core interests of developing countries. Read more »

A Roadmap for U.S.-China Collaboration on Carbon Capture and Sequestration

PESD researchers Tom Heller and Gang He contribute to a new report on US China CCS Collaboration Read more »

The Social Determinants of Health: Application to Developed and Developing Asia

Global health disparities were the topic of a special event November 11th co-sponsored by the Asia Health Policy Program of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and the Center for Health Policy / Primary Care and Outcomes Research. Read more »

November 17th, 2009

Next steps in Afghanistan

As President Obama confers with his military and diplomatic advisors about increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, the political and military situation on the ground is seen as dire by many. CDDRL Director Larry Diamond joins KQED's Michael Krasny and a group of experts assessing U.S. policy options, strategic interests, and objectives in Afghanistan.

• » KQED: Next Steps in Afghanistan

In letter to President Obama, Garber and Fuchs join top economists urging four elements necessary to control costs in health care legislation

Stanford Health Policy Director Alan Garber, core faculty Victor Fuchs and associate faculty Kenneth Arrow joined two dozen health economists in signing a letter to President Barack Obama urging cost controlling measures be included in health care legislation. The four key measures they outlined in their three-page memo are (1) deficit neutrality; (2) an excise tax on high-cost insurance plans; (3) an independent Medicare commission; and (4) delivery system reforms.

• » Letter to President Barack Obama urging four elements be included in health reform legislation to control costs

November 11th, 2009

Stanford Health Policy researchers receive NIA challenge grant to study HIV treatment

Core faculty Douglas Owens, associate faculty Margaret Brandeau and associate faculty Eran Bendavid received a $1 million challenge grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project that will compare antiretroviral regimen treatments for HIV, and evaluate the impact of these drugs on patients with cardiovascular problems. The award -- presented to three research projects out of the thousands that applied -- will allow the creation of two or three new research positions for the two-year funded project. Read more »

Alan Garber receives career achievement award from Society for Medical Decision Making

Director Alan Garber has been awarded the Society for Medical Decision Making's career achievement award. Presented at the SMDM's annual conference last week, the award recognizes senior investigators who have made significant contributions to the field of medical decision making.

November 10th, 2009

Josef Joffe: The Wall and the end of history

"November 9, 1989, deserves a towering monument in every European capital - a marker of something completely new under the European sun," writes FSI Senior Fellow Josef Joffe in Newsweek. "Unlike in 1789, the promise of peace and liberty was truly delivered. Unlike in 1919 ... 1989 brought an end to the worst part of European history." Read more »

Dena Bravata's pedometer research featured in Washington Post article

Stanford Health Policy affiliate Dena Bravata's research on the health benefits of pedometer use is featured in the Washington Post. The article, "The Misfits: A look at pedometers' impact on weight loss," quotes Bravata at length and references Stanford's successful pedometer program.

• » Washington Post: A look at pedometers' impact on weight loss

Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe to be nominated U.S. ambassador to UN Human Rights Council

CISAC Affiliate Donahoe is to be nominated to a key post in Obama administration, the White House announced Nov. 9. Read more »

SEAF Director Named to Task Force on Burma/Myanmar

The Asia Society has organized a Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Burma/Myanmar, co-chaired by retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark and Holsman International Chair (and former USAID Administrator) Henrietta H. Fore. The panel comprises a dozen or so individuals from various occupations and backgrounds, including SEAF’s director, Don Emmerson. Assisting the Task Force is an also diverse Advisory Group of some thirty experts in Southeast Asian and other countries. The Asia Society expects to release the Task Force’s final report early in 2010. Read more »

November 9th, 2009

Director Alan Garber discusses patient care in NYT magazine article "Making Health Care Better"

In economist columnist David Leonhardt's New York Times magazine featured article "Making Health Care Better," Stanford Health Policy director Alan Garber comments on patient care not being as good as it should be.

• » Alan M. Garber

Read more »

November 6th, 2009

The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years later

November 9, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The historic event symbolizes the end of the Cold War, and for the Germans living there, 1989 marks a turning point that continues to shape their culture. Amir Eshel, professor of comparative literature and director of FSI's Forum on Contemporary Europe and history professor James Sheehan reflect on the legacy of this important anniversary. Read more »

November 5th, 2009

Islamism: What is to be said and done?

More than any of his predecessors, President Obama has reached out to "the Muslim world." But what of the terms and the timing of that demarche? If, as expected, he visits Indonesia next year, he will try to build on his oratorical successes in Istanbul and Cairo by addressing Muslims in the country that has more of them than any other. Read more »

November 4th, 2009

Scott D. Sagan named Caroline S.G. Munro Professor

CISAC Co-Director Scott D. Sagan, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, has been named to an endowed professorship in political science. Read more »

November 3rd, 2009

Joan Rohlfing named president of Nuclear Threat Initiative

Joan Rohlfing, a 1987-88 CISAC fellow, has served as NTI's senior vice president since the organization's founding in 1991. She will take over as president at the end of this year. From left, sociologist Lynn Eden, Rohlfing and astronaut Sally Ride from their days as CISAC fellows. Read more »

November 2nd, 2009

The Global Nuclear Future -- special edition of Daedalus journal

CISAC Co-Director Scott Sagan and Steve Miller of Harvard's Belfer Center have jointly edited a special two-volume issue of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, on "The Global Nuclear Future." Read more »

October 30th, 2009

The Next Hardware Revolution - You Build it Yourself - Liberation Technology Summary

Summary for the October 22nd class. Peter Semmelhack, founder of BugLabs,spoke about his company’s goal to make hardware as malleable as software, freeing people to create the devices that meet their needs and improve quality of life. While the Open Source movement has enabled rapid progress in the field of software in recent years, hardware innovation lags behind. The way that hardware products come to market is time consuming and expensive for all. A number of factors mean that only big multinational players tend to be able to survive in this space: Read more »

ANALYSIS-U.S.-Japan alliance faces challenge of China's rise

Tokyo and Washington are struggling to keep a feud over a U.S. military base from spoiling President Barack Obama's visit next month, but assuaging mutual anxiety as both allies adapt to China's growing clout will be an even harder task. "There is more raison d'etre to the alliance than ever before, but they have to reframe it and take it out of the Cold War context," said Daniel Sneider at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. Read more »