Journal Vol. 5

Featured Journal Submission

This paper delves into the outcomes of current uses of the Pigouvian tax model in recent years to address and mitigate environmental concerns such as climate change, resulting in a carbon tax, in various countries. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze and determine the efficacy of the Pigouvian tax model as a global policy – especially concerning carbon dioxide emission tax regulations – by using a thematic case study analysis with policy implications to assess the model's applications, drawbacks, and implications. We examine the economic impact, social equity, political feasibility, regional disparity, and environmental effectiveness of carbon taxation through five case studies: a hypothetical tax model in the Philippines, Germany’s carbon pricing, Canada’s political response to a carbon tax, British Columbia’s regional divide on carbon taxation, and an analysis of the Kyoto Protocol.

Featured Journal Submission

The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R.8404) is a landmark 2022 law that codified federal and interstate recognition of racial intermarriage and same-sex marriage. This paper asks why, despite previous iterations of the Respect for Marriage Act failing, marriage equality achieved success in 2022. With a focus on same-sex marriage, I review key policies in American history. I then move to discuss the premise of the Respect for Marriage Act itself. I then discuss the premise of the law itself. I argue that there were three key factors driving the law’s success: the Supreme Court, interest groups, and electoral politics. First, I argue that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) decision overturning abortion protections created urgency to codify interracial and same-sex marriage as it challenged the longstanding doctrine of stare decisis. Second, I argue that the broad coalition of interest groups supporting the law helped ground support for it from a variety of angles. Third, I argue that Republican members of Congress in competitive districts saw this law as an opportunity to take a policy position ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Together, they created the unlikely coalition in an otherwise polarized political environment to pass the Respect for Marriage Act.

Featured Journal Submission

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding coordinated action from leaders and policymakers worldwide. As countries struggle to adapt and mitigate the far-reaching, severe consequences of climate change, the policies they implement play a crucial role in shaping sustainability and the future. This paper compares and contrasts the climate change policies of two nations—the United States and Denmark—by analyzing the effectiveness, equity considerations, and political contexts of the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act and Denmark’s Climate Action Plan. The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant and recent climate-focused piece of legislation put forward by the United States. Since President Trump’s term began in January 2025, multiple executive orders unraveling the work of the Biden-Harris agenda on climate change have been signed. At this point in time, it’s still too early to understand the full environmental and economic scope of what President Trump's orders could mean for the world. Nevertheless, the paper will briefly discuss what his approach to fossil fuel companies are during his time in office. In the United States, federalism is a defining feature of environmental policy, with the strongest forms of climate action emerging from the state government level, leading to varying policies from state to state. As such, this paper will specifically analyze the domestic environmental policies in Vermont in comparison to the international environmental policies in Copenhagen, Denmark. While Vermont’s green initiatives set it apart and ahead of the rest of the United States, Denmark’s ambitious emissions goals and climate policies set an example for the rest of the world. With a focus on renewable energy, carbon taxes, and technological innovations, Denmark’s approach to fighting climate change offers a blueprint for sustainability for the world to model. By comparing Denmark to the United States, one can better envision a 21st-century green economy rooted in sustainability and justice.

Featured Journal Submission

The United States continues to be one of the most dangerous developed nations in the world to give birth, with Black women disproportionately affected by the nation's maternal mortality crisis. The increasing maternal mortality rate among Black women is rooted in the United States’ long-standing history of racial inequality, where medical, social, and political institutions have historically viewed Black women not as people to be taken care of, but as experiments and tools to advance medical practices. This legacy of oppression continues to manifest itself in disparities within healthcare access, treatment, and patient outcomes. Implicit bias within medical institutions frequently leads to the dismissal of Black women’s pain, concerns, and symptoms, resulting in complications and fatalities that are oftentimes preventable. Economic and legislative barriers to healthcare—including restrictive Medicaid policies and the closure of hospitals in marginalized communities—further prevent Black women from accessing necessary critical prenatal and postpartum care. In order to address these resources Black women need access to culturally competent care throughout their pregnancies and during the postpartum period. Expanding training in culturally competent care for maternity healthcare providers can mitigate implicit bias and improve patient-provider relations, which are often significant barriers to receiving continued maternal care for Black women. Maternal mortality review committees can identify and recommend targeted solutions to systemic patterns of mistreatment, while Doula reimbursement programs can further support and advocate for Black women throughout pregnancy and childbirth, improving pregnancies and birth outcomes by ensuring continuous, patient-centered care and treatment. The rise in Black maternal mortality rates is not an anomaly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a constant narrative, demanding, and deserving of, urgent attention and systemic reform.