CA Highway Patrol officers walk on the University of California, Los Angeles campus on May 1, 2024 near a pro-Palestinian encampment. Hundreds of protesters have since been arrested on UCLA's campus.

Caption

CA Highway Patrol officers walk on the University of California, Los Angeles campus on May 1, 2024 near a pro-Palestinian encampment. Hundreds of protesters have since been arrested on UCLA's campus. / Getty Images

College campuses nationwide are erupting with protests against Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. A consistent theme among these actions: a call for university endowment "divestment."

Today, we unpack what that means and how divestment would work. Plus, we hear from an expert who explains why divestment might not have the effect that many believe.

Related episodes:
Why Israel uses diaspora bonds (Apple / Spotify)
How much of your tax dollars are going to Israel and Ukraine (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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