Article Archive
Some Recipes Are Best Kept Secret
Hedge funds should determine for themselves how transparent to be, without the government stepping in.
Will Mayoral Control Make the Grade?
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty plans to wrest control of the city’s public schools away from the elected school board, mimicking a national trend. But results will depend on concrete actions to fix the schools—not on which bureaucracy has control.
Economic Agreement Is a Buy Sign in Iraq
With most of American politics focused on the troop surge and partisan maneuverings over its implementation, another story has gotten lost: The Iraqis themselves have made important progress in a basic economic issue that has fueled the sectarian divide.
Taxing Logic
Those who want to fund new spending with higher rates should acknowledge the future failure their logic presumes.
Nairobi Blues
A brave band of reformers is taking on Kenya’s endemic culture of corruption.
Feared, Loved, Ridiculed
The British and American versions of the popular TV comedy series ‘The Office’ both debunk the authority of the boss, but in ways that distinguish the two cultures. James Bowman explains.
Girl Scouts Want You To Die
My local liquor store is selling Girl Scout cookies, and last week I chose Thin Mints over gin, thinking myself quite virtuous. Little did I know…
Lust for Height
The Burj Dubai, slated to be the tallest building in the world when it’s done in 2009, is rising 160 stories or more (the final height is a secret) in the desert. It’s no anomaly. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 seem to have whetted the global appetite to build taller and taller. Most of the new mega-skyscrapers are in Asia and the Middle East, but the engineers and architects are American. Why the boom? A combination of economic imperatives and powerful egos, both national and personal. Coming soon: the fulfillment of Frank Lloyd Wright’s dream of a mile-high building.
Ségolène la Socialiste?
Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate for President of France, talks like Mitterrand—but if elected, she may be forced to govern like Lionel Jospin, whose far-left rhetoric was matched by pro-growth policies and extensive privatization.
Too Many Eggs in One Web?
The Internet is famously resilient—but it would be surprisingly easy to cut millions of people off from the global network.
Of Love and Audits
There’s no accounting for family.
The Invisible Paintbrush
Are markets to blame for bad art?
Mississippi Fails to Learn From History
The state’s malarial litigation climate may deprive its citizens of homeowner’s insurance.
Good Government
The federal government sometimes takes obscure actions that actually help the economy, big-time. Matthew Rees selects five of the best ever.
Life and Death at an Indian Call Center
The country has found a new use for its most famous business model—a far cry from tech support.
Getting a Handle on Public Health
Steven Johnson’s new book shows how we beat cholera, and what we can learn from the experience.
Dangerous Play
Making Italian football safe for fans is a political challenge.
Seeing Past a Red Herring in the Medicare Debate
President Bush is not “cutting” Medicare spending—all the media hype notwithstanding. His plans would, however, eliminate trillions of dollars worth of fiscal liabilities.
Good Intentions Could Pave a Better Road in Liberia
Donor countries should let Liberia’s problems, rather than their own favorite causes, guide their aid.
Legislators Should Live in a Glass House
A little-known new project could make it easier to hold congressmen of both parties accountable.