Global economic weakness and a rise in inequality appear to be causing a disturbing growth in ethnic nationalism. Leaders today often do not openly declare themselves to be ethnic nationalists — in which identity is defined by perceived genetic, religious or linguistic heritage rather than democratic ideals or principles. But political appeals to such forms […]

Economists have long struggled to explain why a growing proportion of men in the prime of their lives are not employed or looking for work. A new study has found that nearly half of these men are on painkillers and many are disabled. The working paper by Alan Krueger, a Princeton economist, casts light on […]

Think, for a moment, about the stories that your family likes to tell about itself. They are probably miniature versions of the American story, with progress as the central theme. Maybe your great-grandparents arrived here as striving immigrants, and you now talk about how proud they would be. Maybe you’re the first college graduate or […]

Corporations are viewed as untouchable by big business media giants like the Wall Street Journal, which blurts out inanities like “Income inequality is simply not a significant problem” and “Middle-class Americans have more buying power than ever before.” In the real world, inequality is destroying the middle class. The following four issues, all part of […]

Richard Cordray and the Federal agency he heads, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), have been in the cross hairs of right wing Republicans and the corporations they front for since the agency opened its doors in 2011 to confront the abuses exposed in the financial crisis of 2008. The agency’s work to level the […]