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Social Studies: Overconfident students; how opioids changed politics; a positive side effect of the COVID vaccine

Advertisement From opioid marketing to Republican votes Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Arteaga, C. & Barone, V., 'Republican Support and Economic Hardship: The Enduring Effects of the Opioid Epidemic,' National Bureau of Economic Research (June 2025). Advertisement Paying attention It appears that newspaper coverage of state legislators affects their performance in office. A political scientist at Stanford found that in legislative districts that have the most overlap with areas of newspaper readership, constituents have greater knowledge about the legislator who represents them and a greater likelihood of voting in state legislative races. Lawmakers elected in these districts are more likely to exhibit political moderation and to have high levels of productivity, as measured by bill sponsorship, being present for roll-call votes, and service on important legislative committees. Myers, A., 'Press Coverage and Accountability in State Legislatures,' American Political Science Review (forthcoming). Will vaccinate for food A new study finds that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout was a key ingredient in helping people have enough food to eat. Comparing people who were eligible for the vaccine at different times, the study found that people were significantly less likely to report food insufficiency in the weeks after vaccination. This effect appears to be explained by several mechanisms, including a greater willingness to return to in-person income-generating work and in-person grocery shopping. Aslim, E. et al., 'From Syringes to Dishes: Improving Food Sufficiency Through Vaccination,' Journal of Public Economics (July 2025). Advertisement