Cedarville University, located in southwest Ohio, is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.

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Confused About the Economy?  We can Help!

Dr. Jared Pincin is a nationally respected expert on economic issues facing the United States of America

Associate Professor of Economics

Economics and Education

Economics

Economics and Behaviour

In a recent piece on CNN ... eyebrows were raised about the state of America's economy.

 The article describes a growing disconnect in the U.S. economy: strong growth and rising corporate productivity driven by artificial intelligence, but weak job creation. Companies are investing heavily in AI and automation, which allows them to increase output without hiring more workers — especially in roles involving routine or administrative tasks. This dynamic has produced what economists call a “jobless boom”: profits and productivity rise, while new jobs lag behind.

 The Federal Reserve is increasingly concerned because this trend creates risks for both workers and the broader economy. Lower-skilled and entry-level workers face displacement, wage inequality may widen, and traditional unemployment metrics may understate how difficult it has become for people to re-enter the job market. Policymakers now face a harder balancing act as AI reshapes labor demand, raising questions about retraining, social supports, and how to manage an economy where growth no longer guarantees broad-based job creation.

If you're confused - don't feel bad. In fact, if you're a journalist covering this topic - let us help.

Dr. Jared Pincin is a nationally respected expert on economic issues facing the United States of America.  He's available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.




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A Roadmap or a Rift? Examining Trump’s 28-Point Ukraine Peace Proposal

Cedarville's Glen Duerr is available to help if you're covering

Professor of International Studies

International Terrorism

Domestic Terrorism

International Relations

Brexit

As negotiations around the war in Ukraine continue to dominate global headlines, a newly surfaced 28-point peace proposal associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump has triggered intense debate across NATO capitals, Kyiv, and Moscow. The document — described in reporting by Reuters, Axios, Sky News, Al Jazeera and other outlets — outlines a framework aimed at ending the conflict but includes provisions that many analysts say could significantly reshape Europe’s security landscape.

 A Plan Built Around Ceasefire, Guarantees, and Reconstruction  At its core, the plan calls for a formal ceasefire, a non-aggression pact between Russia, Ukraine, and European states, and a set of “security guarantees” meant to deter future conflict. Reporting indicates that Ukraine would receive assurances that any renewed Russian offensive would trigger a coordinated international response. The plan also proposes the creation of a major reconstruction program — potentially financed in part with frozen Russian assets — to rebuild infrastructure and modernize Ukraine’s economy.

The proposal references pathways for deeper Ukrainian integration with Europe, including support for progressing toward EU membership and providing enhanced access to European markets. A large “Ukraine Development Fund” is also mentioned in multiple summaries of the plan.

Provisions Driving the Most Global Pushback  The most controversial elements relate to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and long-term security posture. Outlets such as Sky News and Al Jazeera report that the draft would recognize Russian control over Crimea and large parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — areas currently occupied by Russian forces. Ukraine would also be required to formally abandon NATO membership and cap its military at 600,000 personnel.

Additional provisions include restrictions on the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine, phased lifting of sanctions on Russia, full amnesty for war-related actions, and the reintegration of Russia into global economic and political structures. These components have drawn sharp responses, particularly from European leaders who argue the plan could reward aggression and undermine international legal norms.

 Dr. Glen Duerr is a citizen of three countries. He was born in the United Kingdom, moved to Canada as a teenager, and then to the United States to obtain his Ph.D. His teaching and research interests include nationalism and secession, comparative politics, international relations theory, sports and politics, and Christianity and politics.  View his profile.   What Remains Unclear or Still Under Discussion Reporting from Reuters and AP notes that many sections of the plan remain undefined or are still in flux. The exact mechanism behind the proposed security guarantees is not detailed. Oversight of reconstruction funds, timelines for reintegration of Russia, and the legal handling of frozen assets also require further clarification. Some reporting suggests parts of the plan draw from a prior informal Russian “non-paper,” raising questions about the provenance and intent of specific provisions.

 Why the Proposal Matters  With the war approaching four years of fighting, any formal proposal for ending hostilities carries significant geopolitical weight. Supporters of the plan frame it as a pragmatic attempt to halt loss of life and begin rebuilding. Critics argue it risks legitimizing territorial conquest and weakening the broader post-Cold-War security order.

As governments evaluate the implications, journalists covering defense, diplomacy, and international law will find this evolving proposal central to understanding where U.S., European, Russian, and Ukrainian negotiators may — or may not — be willing to go next.


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Trump’s Threat is His Destruction of the Republican Party

Expert Perspective provided by Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University.

Professor of Political Science

Constitutional Law

Presidential Politics

Presidential Campaigns

In All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren describes Willie Stark’s final victory. “And there wasn’t any Democratic party. There was just Willie, with his hair in his eyes and his shirt sticking to his stomach with sweat. And he had a meat ax in his hand and was screaming for blood.”  Warren’s description is darkly poetic and metaphorical. Stark, the populist governor of a fictional state, did not murder his rivals, but he did destroy them, along with the political party he rode to power. Like Stark, Donald Trump has carved up the Republican Party of old, and in its place, there is just Trump.

 
This is not the first time a politician has remade a political party, but the death of the G.O.P. threatens to unbalance our political system. We are defined by close elections, tight legislative majorities, and polarized preferences. Neither side in the cultural conflict can achieve core objectives, so the temptation to put more hope and power into the Executive, to skew the system, is mounting.

 
We can argue about the degree to which past Republicans were truly restrained, especially in government spending, but at least the G.O.P. used to advocate for two seatbelts to keep the body politic safe from accidents: character to govern the self and constitutionalism to limit what government can do to others.

 
As the G.O.P. grew to rival Democratic power, in the 1980s and 1990s, the New Deal coalition fractured, along with the assumption that simply more power, expertly applied, could solve our problems. Democrat Bill Clinton conceded “the era of big government is over.” Justice Elena Kagan recognized, “we’re all textualists now.” The tug of war between an evolving progressivism and a robust conservatism may not have made for an ideal way to solve problems, but it did encourage humility, born of the recognition that radical actions, even if successful, would be punished.

 Dr. Mark Caleb Smith serves as Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University. He teaches courses in American Politics, Constitutional Law, and Research Methodology/Data Analysis.  His primary research interest is in the field of religion and American politics. View his profile Those days are over. Donald Trump’s Republicans are no longer a restraint of any kind. The seatbelts of the past have been snipped by the same leaders who claimed to buckle them in place. The Epstein Files are the exception of congressional pushback that proves the rule of the party’s degradation.

 
But what of the appointment of unqualified and incompetent leaders in the F.B.I., H.H.S., Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense? Illegal and extra-judicial killings in the Caribbean? An unexplained and unauthorized military buildup in the same region? Shakedowns of universities and media outlets? Crypto corruption? Tariffs? Strong-arming law firms and firing career civil servants for seeking justice in our courts? The Republican response has mostly been crickets.

 There is no longer a major party that pretends to restrain the president through the law out of principle. The real disagreement between Trump Republicans and Biden Democrats is not about should the president abuse his power, but how.

 
Unless something dramatic happens, the politics of the meat ax will come for us all.

Mark is available to speak with the media regarding the state of politics in America. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview. 


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The Hidden Risks of Sports Betting

Cedarville's Jared Pincin is sounding the alarm about students and gambling

In a recent release  from Cedarville University, Dr. Jared A. Pincin, Associate Professor of Economics, emerges as a prominent voice warning students about the hidden risks of sports betting. Pincin underscores that modern betting apps are intentionally designed to mimic mobile video games—fast, rewarding, and highly addictive—which makes them especially appealing to young adults and students. He emphasizes that while the appeal of quick wins is strong, the reality is that these platforms can erode both personal finances and educational opportunities.

“The dark reality is that gambling is very addictive and can bankrupt people, strain marriages and destroy futures,” Dr. Pincin explains when describing the slippery slope that many young gamblers face.   Grounded in his economic research and Christian ethics framework, Pincin adds another layer of concern: from a faith perspective, gambling exploits the desire for instant gain and distracts individuals from a more grounded trust in provision and purpose. He argues that with legalization expanding and betting apps readily available on smartphones, college students—not just athletes—are increasingly vulnerable to behaviors that can derail their academic trajectory and long-term goals.

“Gambling preys on our desire for quick gain and distracts us from trusting God’s provision,” Dr. Pincin notes, bringing into focus the moral as well as the practical implications of sports gambling in a university setting.   Dr. Jared Pincin's research interests explore the intersection of public choice economics with foreign aid as well as issues in sports economics. Pincin has published in popular publications such as The Hill, Real Clear Markets, Foxnews.com, and USA Today and scholarly journals such as Oxford Development Studies, Applied Economic Letters, and the Journal of Sport and Social Issues. View his profile here The release garnered a lot of attention - and substantial media coverage from outlets like ABC News and others.

 Gambling is emerging as a serious issue across America - and if you're a reporter looking to know more about this topic - then let us help.

Cedarville's Jared Pincin is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.



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The Fed Just Cut interest Rates - What's Mean for Americans and What Does it Say about the Economy?

Cedarville's Jared Pincin and Jeff Haymond are here to help if you are covering.

 For the first time since December interest rates are being cut  and all indicators point to even more  signaled more cuts coming this year.

The reactions so far have been mixed.  The markets held steady but made no bold moves.  And the opinions on how this will impact housing and home sales was also mixed with President Trump raving that housing will "soar" and others concerned about  volatility.


 The announcement is getting a lot of media attention with reporters looking for angles, answers and what to expect for the future.

 And to get those answers - they need experts who understand every aspect of the economy.


 Dr. Jared Pincin's primary research interests explore the intersection of public choice economics with foreign aid as well as issues in sports economics. Pincin has published in popular publications such as The Hill, Real Clear Markets, Foxnews.com, and USA Today and scholarly journals such as Oxford Development Studies, Applied Economic Letters, and the Journal of Sport and Social Issues. View his profile here   Dr. Haymond joined the faculty at Cedarville University in 2010 after a 29-year career in the United States Air Force.  He taught at the United States Air Force Academy and was an Air Force Fellow at The Brookings Institution. His research has been published in scholarly journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, Public Choice, the Journal of Public Choice and Public Finance, and Journal of Faith and Economics. His current research interests include economics and religion, as well as monetary theory. View his profile here Looking to know more?  We can help.

Jared Pincin and Jeff Haymond are both available to speak with media - simply click on either expert's icon to arrange an interview today.




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Are China's New Policies Opening Up China?

  For centuries China has been known as a closed country. When the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) started enforcing immense cultural and political influence, it acted as a catalyst for China's closed country status. Then the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) made the closed country status official by expanding China's political, cultural and administrative structures. 

Now after over 600 years, China is announcing they may become more open than they have in past centuries. China is not fully becoming open, but there are two ways China is hoping to re-establish its reputation among other countries. 

In 2024 China announced they are enabling a temporary visa-free policy, that permits visitors from 43 countries to visit China without visas for short trips lasting only a few days. China installed this policy with hopes of promoting global goodwill and to encourage tourism and business travel. 
Now in 2025, China says they will implement policies that will promote stable foreign trade growth and improve services for enterprises. While this new policy is just beginning, the visa-free policy will end at the end of 2025. 

So, while China says they are becoming more open, they mean they are welcoming foreign businesses and investors. They are currently not becoming open religiously, politically, socially or economically. Citizens, even visitors, still remain under strict censorship, surveillance and political control. These policies also don't mean that foreign companies will no longer experience restrictions, forced partnerships with Chinese firms, data rules, and unexpected regulatory pressure. These things will still continue to occur. China is being selective on what these policies entail and how long they will last. 

Since the COVID lockdowns and now with the real estate crashes and youth unemployment, China has felt its economy slowing. It's their hope that these new policies will help boost China's economy. 

Economic Perspective: Dr. Jared Pincin is an expert on economics and is available to speak to media regarding China's economy – simply click on his icon or email mweinstein@cedarville.edu to arrange an interview. 

International Relations Perspective: Dr. Glen Duerr, professor of international studies at Cedarville University and a citizen of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, is a nationally known expert on this subject and is available to speak to on China's new policies. To schedule an interview, email Mark D. Weinstein, executive director of public relations at Cedarville University at mweinstein@cedarville.edu or click on his icon.






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