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Jason Sorens, a lecturer in the Department of Government, tells USA Today that secessionist movements across the world can take lessons from Scotland’s campaign for independence, which failed at the polls September 18.

Among the lessons: It’s one thing to tell pollsters that you are for independence, and another thing to actually vote for it at the ballot box.

“Even if they think independence is likely to be a good idea, if they put greater weight on the possible, catastrophic outcomes, that tends to bias them against taking that step,“ Sorens tells the newspaper. ”Voters tend to be risk averse. It’s a very strong status quo bias.“

Read the full story, published 9/20/14 by USA Today.