The announcement in late 2014 that the United States and Cuba would resume relations has brought renewed focus to the complex and politically fraught history of the two countries. Cuban-Americans have long held intense feelings about their ancestral country, and deep issues of identity will continue to evolve as the political situation shifts.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Heather R. Lee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Whether it is the flow of displaced persons to Europe from the Middle East and North Africa or the ebbs and flows of Mexicans across America’s southern border, issues of migration, immigration and population movement controls are often politically radioactive.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Daniel T. Lichter, Cornell University, and Scott R. Sanders, Brigham Young University

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) was created by Congress in 1974 to insure all private-sector pensions against employer bankruptcy and underfunding. By 2006, the PBGC was responsible for insuring pensions for 44 million working and retired Americans.

As baby-boomers have aged, so has the population of the United States. This has consequences, in particular for the nation’s labor force. In the 20 years from 1990 to 2010, the labor force in the United States grew 24.4%, keeping pace with the country’s population growth of 26%.  From 2010 to 2030, however, while the population will climb an additional 17.5%, the labor force is expected to grow only 10.5%.