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Topher L. McDougal

I am a development economist and professor at the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, California, where I direct graduate programs in Humanitarian Action and Peace & Justice. My research interests include the economics of peace and conflict, illicit markets (especially for firearms), and human predation of environmental systems. In addition to consulting for various organizations including the World Bank, Mercy Corps, and the International Rescue Committee, I have been a research affiliate at the Centre on Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding (CCDP) at the Graduate Institute for International & Development Studies (Geneva, Switzerland), a principal of the Small Arms Data Observatory (SADO), and an invited scholar-in-residence at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Tecnológico de Monterrey. My first book, The Political Economy of Rural-Urban Conflict: Predation, Production, and Peripheries (Oxford, 2017), explained how trade networks shape the nature and extent of civil war violence. I received a PhD and MCP from MIT, and a BA from Swarthmore College.

California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco

May 22, 2024 06:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Law

Starting in July 2024, California will be the first state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition. The new tax an 11% levy on each sale will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10% or 11% for firearms and...

Delivering aid during war is tricky − here’s what to know about what Gaza relief operations may face

Oct 23, 2023 08:18 am UTC| Insights & Views

The 2.2 million people who live in Gaza are facing economic isolation and experiencing incessant bombardment. Their supplies of essential resources, including food and water, are quickly dwindling. In response, U.S....

Gaza depends on UN and other global aid groups for food, medicine and basic services – Israel's war means nothing is getting in

Oct 15, 2023 04:03 am UTC| Insights & Views

International aid groups are warning that they cannot deliver food and other basic services to people in the Gaza Strip and that a dire humanitarian crisis is set to worsen. International aid groups provide food and...

Economy

South Korea Central Bank Signals Inflation Concerns as Oil Prices Surge

South Koreas central bank is expected to place greater emphasis on inflation control after rising global oil prices triggered concerns that inflation could move above the Bank of Koreas 2% target. The warning came from...

Norway Core Inflation Hits 3.2% in April, Fueling Interest Rate Hike Expectations

Norways annual core inflation rate climbed to 3.2% in April, reinforcing expectations that the countrys central bank could maintain higher interest rates for a longer period. The latest figures, released by Statistics...

Goldman Sachs Delays Fed Rate Cut Forecast to 2026 Amid Rising Inflation Concerns

Goldman Sachs has pushed back its forecast for U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, now expecting reductions in December 2026 and March 2027 instead of the previously projected September and December 2026 cuts. The...

ECB Signals Possible Interest Rate Move if Inflation Outlook Fails to Improve

European Central Bank (ECB) governing council member Martin Kocher signaled that the ECB may soon need to adjust interest rates if inflation in the eurozone does not show meaningful improvement. His comments, published...

Indian Stock Market Drops as Iran Conflict Fuels Oil Price and Inflation Fears

Indian stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday as investors reacted to growing concerns over the economic fallout from the escalating Middle East conflict and rising crude oil prices. The Nifty 50 index declined 1.2%...

Politics

US Auto Industry Urges Trump to Block Chinese EV Market Access

As President Donald Trump prepares for a high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, pressure is mounting from U.S. automakers, lawmakers, unions, and manufacturers urging the administration to keep Chinese...

Trump-Xi Summit Sparks Renewed Hope for Americans Detained in China

Families of two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to raise their cases during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The detainees, Dawn Michelle Hunt and...

Trump Rejects Iran Proposal as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Pushes Oil Prices Higher

Oil prices surged Monday after former U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Irans latest response to a U.S.-backed peace proposal, raising fears that the ongoing Middle East conflict could intensify and further disrupt...

Taiwan Confident in Strong U.S. Relations Ahead of Trump-Xi China Summit

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said Monday that Taipei remains confident in the stable growth of Taiwan-U.S. relations as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a high-profile visit to China this week. Trump is...

Netanyahu Signals Plan to End Reliance on U.S. Military Aid Within 10 Years

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel aims to gradually eliminate its dependence on U.S. military assistance over the next decade while expanding strategic partnerships with Gulf nations. In an interview...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Nintendo Shares Tumble as Weak Forecast and Rising Switch 2 Costs Worry Investors

Nintendo shares plunged on Monday after the Japanese gaming giant posted annual earnings that missed analyst expectations and issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for the current fiscal year. The disappointing forecast...

AI-Driven Inflation Raises U.S. Consumer Prices, Goldman Sachs Says

Artificial intelligence is starting to increase U.S. consumer prices through rising costs in electronics, software, and electricity, according to a new Goldman Sachs report. The investment bank said AI-related inflation...

Judge Delays SEC Settlement With Elon Musk Over Twitter Stock Disclosure Case

A federal judge has declined to immediately approve a proposed $1.5 million settlement between Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) tied to Musks 2022 Twitter stock purchase disclosures. The...

Broadcom Eyes $35 Billion AI Chip Financing Deal With Apollo and Blackstone

Broadcom Inc. is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Inc. to secure around $35 billion in financing for its expanding artificial intelligence chip business, according to a Bloomberg...

Dell Stock Hits Record High After Trump Endorsement, AI Server Demand Fuels Rally

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) surged to an all-time high on Friday after receiving a public endorsement from President Donald Trump during a White House event. The president encouraged Americans to go out and buy...