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  1. Are Dads Getting Better?

    July 07, 2026

    The anthropologist Lee Gettler speculates that “low-T” fatherhood is basically an adaptation to circumstances: when new dads are immersed in the work of parenting—bathing infants and changing their diapers, or helping older kids navigate the emotional complexities of middle school—it simply doesn’t make sense for them to be “hormonally focused on competition and aggression.” 

    Mentions

    Headshot of Lee Gettler with short brown hair, smiling, wearing a teal and gray checkered button-down shirt. He is positioned slightly off-center against a blurred office background with bookshelves.

    Lee Gettler

    Anthropology

  2. Air Conditioning, Scourge of the French Left

    June 29, 2026

    Alex Kustov argues that expanding access to air conditioning is a practical, evidence-based response to deadly heat waves, contending that ideological opposition to cooling in parts of Europe risks undermining public health.

  3. Why birth rates are falling everywhere all at once

    June 23, 2026

    Melissa Kearney weighs in on the factors behind falling birth rates around the world, pointing to the potential role of digital technology in changing how people form relationships and families.

  4. Prescription for Disaster: Drug Deaths in America

    June 10, 2026

    Host Steven Davis speaks with William Evans and Ethan Lieber about the heartbreaking rise of deaths due to drug misuse in the United States. 

    Mentions

    Headshot of Bill Evans with short gray hair and glasses. He wears a light blue collared shirt and a dark tie with gray stripes. He is posing against a gray backdrop.

    William Evans

    Department of Economics

    Headshot of Ethan Lieber wearing rectangular glasses, a light blue button-down shirt, and a dark gray suit jacket. He is smiling against a plain gray background.

    Ethan Lieber

    Department of Economics

  5. Why new dads shouldn’t panic about low testosterone

    June 10, 2026

    According to a 2011 paper from University of Notre Dame professor Lee Gettler, part of the largest study on fatherhood and testosterone ever conducted, men averaged around a 25% drop in testosterone after becoming fathers.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Lee Gettler with short brown hair, smiling, wearing a teal and gray checkered button-down shirt. He is positioned slightly off-center against a blurred office background with bookshelves.

    Lee Gettler

    Anthropology

  6. How will falling fertility rates hurt the economy? With Melissa Kearney

    May 15, 2026

    Soumaya Keynes speaks to Melissa Kearney, a professor at the University of Notre Dame and the director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, which recently put out a series on the topic: Demographic Headwinds: The Economic Consequences of Lower Birth Rates and Longer Lives. They discuss why the fertility rate won’t reverse course any time soon — and what happens when the rest of the baby boomers retire.

    Mentions

    Melissa Kearney with brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and a pendant necklace. The outdoor background is softly blurred.

    Melissa Kearney

    Department of Economics

  7. U.S. fertility rate hits historic low as women delay pregnancy and have fewer children

    April 30, 2026

    The fertility rate in the United States has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded...I spoke with Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame. She says these two trends combined - fewer U.S. babies and fewer migrants - these are game-changers.

    Mentions

    Melissa Kearney with brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and a pendant necklace. The outdoor background is softly blurred.

    Melissa Kearney

    Department of Economics

  8. Dad brains: How fatherhood rewires the male mind

    April 20, 2026

    When the American anthropologist Lee Gettler, then an undergrad student, heard about these findings in the early 2000s, he was hooked. "I asked [my lecturer] whether anyone was studying these questions in human fathers, and the answer at that point was largely no", says Gettler, now the director of the Hormones, Health, and Human Behavior Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Lee Gettler with short brown hair, smiling, wearing a teal and gray checkered button-down shirt. He is positioned slightly off-center against a blurred office background with bookshelves.

    Lee Gettler

    Anthropology

  9. Supreme Court weighs on birthright citizenship; Notre Dame professor discusses impact

    April 02, 2026

    Legal analysts who monitored oral arguments on the issue on Wednesday pointed to the skeptical questions about the directive that removes automatic citizenship for children born here to undocumented migrants. Professor Amy Hsin at Notre Dame joined over 100 academics providing research to the Supreme Court in the case centering the 14th Amendment.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Amy Hsin with dark hair wearing a blue shirt and a green pendant necklace, slightly smiling at the camera.

    Amy Hsin

    Keough School of Global Affairs

  10. A new homelessness strategy is sweeping California

    March 26, 2026

    “The risk is you give out a lot of precious resources to people who otherwise would be able to prevent homelessness on their own, and that takes away from things like emergency shelters or transitional shelters or permanent supportive housing,” said Jim Sullivan, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities.

  11. The Birthrate Is Plunging. Why Some Say That’s a Good Thing.

    March 02, 2026

    Drops among Hispanic, white and Black teenagers accounted for 37 percent of the national birthrate decline between 2007, when the rate started to go down, and 2019, according to calculations by Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, and her colleagues.

    Researchers have pointed to several possible explanations. The decline coincided with the introduction of the smartphone, which rapidly became a tool for both social connection and isolation, even a substitute for sex, said Kasey Buckles, an economist at Notre Dame.

    Mentions

    Melissa Kearney with brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and a pendant necklace. The outdoor background is softly blurred.

    Melissa Kearney

    Department of Economics

    Headshot of Kasey Buckles with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a red blazer and white shirt, smiling at the camera against a light gray background.

    Kasey Buckles

    Department of Economics

  12. How the opioid crisis turned places Republican

    February 03, 2026

    Economists Carolina Arteaga and Victoria Barone just published a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics showing that the opioid epidemic pushed the electorate right (It made a splash even in white paper form last year, so you may have already heard about it).

    Mentions

    Headshot of Vicky Barone with long brown hair, wearing light-brown framed glasses and a green patterned shirt against a gray background. She is smiling at the camera.

    Victoria Barone

    Department of Economics

  13. Local leaders oppose this housing affordability bill. But do experts think it will work?

    January 29, 2026

    "Most of these reforms are pretty fresh in other states,” Evan Mast, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, told IndyStar. "There aren't good, long term studies of how they impact affordability yet, but this type of legislation is getting more and more popular.” 

    Mentions

    Headshot of Evan Mast with short brown hair, wearing a light gray and white pinstriped collared shirt and a dark gray blazer. He is smiling against a light gray background.

    Evan Mast

    Department of Economics

  14. Catholic Charities expands program to national scale

    January 28, 2026

    “Padua shows what’s possible when evidence, dignity, and partnership come together,” said Jim Sullivan, Co-Founder and Director of LEO. “We have evidence this program works, and replicating it through trusted partners like Goodwill Michiana is how that evidence can improve lives far beyond where it began.”

  15. Heritage Foundation says declining marriage rates pose a threat to society

    January 23, 2026

    The authors do cite some work, particularly work from economist Melissa Kearney, that children who grow up in stable two-parent families, especially married biological parents, do show better average outcomes. But what Kearney's work also emphasizes is that what she calls a two-parent advantage is strongly tied to resources and stability.

    Mentions

    Melissa Kearney with brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and a pendant necklace. The outdoor background is softly blurred.

    Melissa Kearney

    Department of Economics

  16. Notre Dame expert says immigrant children need access to education

    January 21, 2026

    For more than 40 years, a Supreme Court ruling has guaranteed access to public education regardless of immigration status. Notre Dame migration scholar Amy Hsin warns that reversing it would harm the U.S. workforce and child welfare.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Amy Hsin with dark hair wearing a blue shirt and a green pendant necklace, slightly smiling at the camera.

    Amy Hsin

    Keough School of Global Affairs

  17. Experts: ‘Dilexi Te’ reinforces Catholic teaching that care for the poor is essential to holiness

    October 13, 2025

    James Sullivan, a professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame and co-founder and director of its Lab for Economic Opportunities, a center researching effective solutions to reduce poverty in America, agreed the exhortation emphasizes the indispensable role of care for the poor in the life of the faithful.

  18. RFK Jr’s shakeup of vaccine advisory committee raises worries about scientific integrity of health recommendations

    June 13, 2025

    By Santosh Kumar Gautam, Associate Professor of Development and Global Health Economics, University of Notre Dame.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Santosh Gautam with dark hair and glasses wearing a gray vest over a light pink, collared shirt and patterned tie. He stands slightly angled toward the camera against a blurred indoor background.

    Santosh Gautam

    Keough School of Global Affairs

  19. More trial runs expected for new COVID-19 vaccines amidst FDA changes

    May 29, 2025

    One health expert at Notre Dame says this new regulation may leave some Americans especially vulnerable to infection if it remains in place. Associate Professor of Global Health at Notre Dame, Santosh Gautam views the new FDA regulations as a reduction in overall supply of the vaccine for under-insured communities. But, he says there is data to support the logic.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Santosh Gautam with dark hair and glasses wearing a gray vest over a light pink, collared shirt and patterned tie. He stands slightly angled toward the camera against a blurred indoor background.

    Santosh Gautam

    Keough School of Global Affairs

  20. Researchers Find Link Between Papal Visits, Fertility Rates

    May 26, 2025

    A University of Notre Dame researcher recently discovered a remarkable legacy Pope St. John Paul II bestowed on Latin America during the pontiff’s 16 visits to the region between 1979 and 1996. Economics Professor Lakshmi Iyer and her colleagues set out to determine how the pope’s visits might have impacted life in 13 traditionally Catholic countries there, and they found that birth rates increased dramatically after the pope visited a region.

    Mentions

    Headshot of Lakshmi Iyer, with medium length black hair, wearing a red blouse with a floral design. She is smiling at the camera against a plain light gray background.

    Lakshmi Iyer

    Department of Economics