When outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles occur despite highly effective vaccines being available^[1], it’s easy to conclude that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are misguided, selfish or have fallen prey to misinformation.

As professors with expertise in vaccine policy^[2] and health economics^[3], we argue that the decision not to vaccinate isn’t simply about misinformation^[4] or hesitancy. In our...

The U.S. government recently cut more than US$1 billion in funding to two long-running programs that helped schools and food banks^[1] feed children and families in need. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the reductions are a “return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives^[2].” But advocacy groups say the cuts will hurt millions of Americans^[3].

The reductions came just days before the release of the Trump...