July/August 2020

The Plutonomy—AI Edition—and the Coming Crisis

Driven by speculative finance, stagnant wages, and AI hype, today’s tech-heavy economy mirrors the fragile plutonomy that collapsed into the Great Crash of 1929.

Out of Policy Ideas? Cut Capital Gains Taxes!

John Miller

Economists react to the Covid-19 economy with a familiar cure-all. | Read more »
Corporate Funding of Police Foundations

Gin Armstrong and Derek Seidman

The lavish overfunding of the police goes beyond public money. | Read more »
Essential—and Expendable—Mexican Labor

Mateo Crossa and James M. Cypher

On both sides of the border, Mexican workers are now essential—to U.S. corporations. | Read more »
Local, or Far Away?

Arthur Macewan

Economists tend to assume that the sole goal of our economic activity is to get things as cheaply possible. But outside the narrow world of economics, people care about a lot of other things. | Read more »
Police Violence Is Enabled by
‘Liberal’ Politicians’ Massive Spending

Sonali Kolhatkar

George Floyd’s death proves again why America needs to defund bloated and militarized police departments. | Read more »

Available only in the print edition:

Stringent, Stingy, and Severe

Smriti Rao

The Covid-19 Crisis in Modi’s India
“Entrepreneurship”: Economic Innovation, or Ideological Cover?

Mark Maier

Entrepreneurship education doesn’t fit the day-to-day realities of most entrepreneurs. What’s the real motivation behind the hype? .

the regulars

editors’ note Loss and Hope
the short run
cartoon Poverty Smartphone
economy in numbers Understanding the Current Unemployment Crisis
in review Kate Aronoff, Alyssa Battistoni, Daniel Aldana Cohen, and Thea N. Riofrancos, A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal

The Plutonomy—AI Edition—and the Coming Crisis

Metal of the Past, Metal of the Future

The Latest Job Calamity—Mostly Home-Made

July/August 2020

Available only in the print edition:

the regulars