Economics

The Horrors of the Diamond Boom

The discovery of diamonds in German Southwest Africa in 1908 led to ruthless exploitation of the colony.

November 18, 2021 issue

Partners in Brutality

New books investigate the brutality of the internal slave trade by focusing on a single firm, Franklin and Armfield, and examine the role of white women in enslaving Black people.

November 18, 2021 issue

A Garden City in Queens

After nearly a century Sunnyside Gardens remains a model of how to create and sustain affordable urban housing.

November 18, 2021 issue

A Historic Decrease in Poverty

The successful expansion of the safety net during the pandemic reminds us that high levels of poverty are a political choice, not a fate.

November 18, 2021 issue

From the Local to the Global

Something seemingly small and insignificant—a provincial family, a signed slip of paper—can open up onto much wider worlds.

October 7, 2021 issue

Death Drives

Pedestrian fatalities are rising dramatically in the US, and Angie Schmitt’s Right of Way gives a rare look at why and what might be done about it.

July 22, 2021 issue

Cubicle Messiah

WeWork was hurtling into the future, with Adam Neumann leading the way. What led to its dramatic collapse?

July 22, 2021 issue

The Broken Promise of Retirement

If the US does nothing to fix its retirement system, 2.6 million formerly middle-class workers will be plunged into poverty by 2022.

July 1, 2021 issue

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

Eula Biss’s Having and Being Had is a collection of brief essays about how a person navigates the moral dilemmas of ownership and privilege.

May 27, 2021 issue

Dividends of a Just Economy

What is keeping the government from acting on behalf of its citizens?

April 29, 2021 issue