Prof. Katie Baird’s hot-off-the-press memoir chronicles her experiences in the Peace Corps during the mid-1980s, and her ongoing relationship with the West African village where she lived. Baird writes of her time in the country of Mauritania during a devastating 20-year drought where she was tasked with teaching the local farmers how to grow rice — despite having little agricultural knowledge or experience.

In her memoir, Prof. Baird recounts the lessons she learned about the economics of rice growing, reflects on the inadequate and uninformed ways that outsiders “help” citizens in places like Mauritania, and describes the deep relationships she formed with residents in the village of Cive.

Congratulations to Katie for the publication of this important work!

Listen to Katie discuss her memoir in  this UW Tacoma podcast, or learn more about Growing Mangos in the Desert: a memoir of life in a Mauritanian village here.

Prof. Matthew Harvey joined our faculty this past Autumn 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Economics. He comes to us after finishing his PhD in Economics at the University of South Carolina.

Here’s what Prof. Harvey had to say about his first year at UWT:

“Despite the challenges this year with covid and coming into a new situation, I am excited to announce my first publication as a member of the UWT faculty! This project looks a the impact law enforcement officers’ bill of rights (LEOBRs) have on police violence, in particular police killings of civilians. We find that LEOBRs do not have a discernible effect on police killings of civilians, though they may have an impact on non-lethal use of force. I am grateful to my colleagues for their support in during this trying year, their dedication to scholarship, and welcoming me to both a new institution and part of the country. I’m excited to see what the next few years hold.”

Thank you to Dr. Harvey for your words and for your important work with students and faculty at UWT!

Last year, Washington State legislators passed a capital gains tax on the profits wealthy state residents make when they trade stocks, bonds, and other assets.  In response, a group of individuals recently filed Initiative 1929, an initiative that seeks to repeal this new law.

PPPA faculty members Katie Baird, Anna Lovasz and Tim Sharks, joined by six others, weighed in on the appeal effort, arguing that:

“I-1929 would continue to ask those with the least to pay the most by giving a tax cut to only the very wealthy individuals who pay this tax. This tax cut for the super rich would cost our state over $500 million per year in funding for childcare, early learning, and other education services that children and families across Washington depend on.”

If passed, I-1929 would repeal SB 5096, a 7% tax on capital gains profits greater than $250,000. If the initiative gets enough signatures, Washington residents would vote on whether or not to repeal the state’s new capital gains tax.