Article Archive
Going Further: The Attention Economy
Many writers have weighed in on the ways attention shapes our world. Some are better than others—here’s an overview.
For Love of the Game?
Even David Beckham will struggle to get Americans interested in soccer.
Energy Conservation Comes of Age on the Battlefield
Fuel-efficient technologies could save lives by lightening the loads military supply lines have to carry.
The Curse of the Better Mousetrap
According to the conventional wisdom, the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats are like VHS and Betamax—two competing standards squaring off in a winner-take-all market. But in today’s marketplace, other options might moot the format war.
Techno-Ideas
Mass conformity is dead. Long live mass customization! NICK SCHULZ on the explosion of variety and personalization.
When Christian Socialists Attack
Michael Gerson helped create “compassionate” conservatism. Now he’s attacking the small-government ideal—and inadvertently highlighting America’s need to learn from Europe.
Forsaking the Casual Fan
Major League Baseball and the National Football League are suffocating the cultures of their sports. Short-term revenue maximization could drive large parts of their audiences away.
Cyberinfrastructure
We are entering a second revolution in information technology, one that may well usher in a new technological age that dwarfs, in sheer transformational scope and power, anything we have yet experienced.
Not Your Father’s Vietnam
Believe it or not, the land of Ho Chi Minh and the Hanoi Hilton has become one of the most pro-American countries in Southeast Asia, if not the world. Today, it is the newest member of the World Trade Organization. How did that happen?
Rebuilding Brand America
Finding it hard to believe that a man in a cave has been able to out-communicate the country that invented Hollywood and Madison Avenue, many think tanks have recommended that the government tap the expertise of U.S. businesses to explain itself abroad. This week they’ll get their wish when the State Department co-sponsors a “Private Sector Summit” with representatives of corporate America and their communications consultants. With luck, the focus will not be on marketing, sales, or publicity.
Back to the Future in Venezuela
Hugo Chavez's decision to nationalize the telecommunications and electrical industries points Venezuela down a backward path.
Vanity Care
In low-income areas, the popularity of Botox helps fund cancer treatment.
Russia’s Oil Woes
Moscow’s attachment to statist economic policy is undermining its bid for global energy dominance, writes LEON ARON. By re-nationalizing its energy sector, Putin’s regime is slaying its largest golden goose.
Forgive Us Our Debts
New research finds that one of the best ways to encourage people to start businesses is to have lenient bankruptcy laws, writes APARNA MATHUR. We need to send the message that it’s O.K. to fail.
What Works in Africa
With little fanfare, businesses are trying to fight disease in Africa. ROGER BATE tells who does it right and who does it wrong. The best spur to benevolence: the profit motive.
An Economic Policy Quagmire—And How It Can Be Avoided
Increasing the minimum wage would be bad policy and bad politics. Why is the White House ready to acquiesce?
AT&T-BellSouth Merger: Regulation Through the Backdoor
By imposing net neutrality conditions on a new merger, the FCC circumvented the policy process.
Code War
India and China are fighting each other for a bigger slice of the $300 billion software market.
Endless Summer in Kazakhstan
The central Asian oil state is using its cascade of wealth to build a seaside resort—in the middle of its sprawling grassland.
Pharma in Europe: Going from Heartburn to Heart Attack?
Europe’s pharmaceutical research and development is vanishing. The United States, which takes its “healthy” pharmaceutical R&D for granted, should take note.