Researchers at the Univesrity of Kansas have analyzed data from a website they built to document "lanback" returns, or returns of land to original Indigenous owners. Results show the returns have increased in frequency dramatically in recent years across the country. The returns have not been driven by law or policy, but by returns from private, non-profit, church, government and other owners deciding it is the right thing to do. These returns can help the field of public planning move beyond simple land acknowledgements in how they view land ownership and Indigenous communities, the authors argue.

A new JAMA study finds that federal efforts to expand the physician workforce fall short for primary care and rural communities, despite clear policy goals. The findings raise pressing questions about whether current implementation strategies can effectively address longstanding physician shortages across the U.S.

Finns expect policymakers to respond actively to international tensions

A new study suggests that 71% of Finns believe the international rules-based order has already crumbled, and they hope Europe and Finland will respond with a robust foreign and security policy.

The research report ‘Wrecking-ball politics: Finns’ expectations in foreign and security policy transitions’ is based on the NATOpoll research project led by the University of Helsinki, in which survey data were gathered from over 3,100 Finns. 840 of these respondents had already completed surveys previously, enabling a longitudinal research perspective.

The report highlights that the international security environment is undergoing profound, wide-ranging change. As the rules-based order loses its guiding authority, nothing has yet emerged to replace it. Finns see it as Europe’s duty to defend this order against the hegemonic ambitions of the world’s major powers.

A new analysis has found that after Utah lowered the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 g/dL, alcohol-related crash fatalities declined significantly more in Utah compared to its six contiguous states. The findings from the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, provide timely evidence that lowering the BAC limit may save lives and point to broad public safety benefits.