Lesson From History: How Bronze Age Rulers Simply Canceled Debts

There has been an explosion of discussion about whether to cancel student debts. Critics of the idea point out that wealthy people would be the main gainers, posing moral hazard. The debate has has quickly slipped into a discussion of modern economies and whether it was moral to ... Read more

The Social And Solidarity Economy Is A Workable Alternative To Capitalism

The social and solidarity economy (SSE) is an economic phenomenon in the full throes of expansion throughout the European Union, as well as other parts of the world. This is no doubt partly the result of the 2008 economic and financial crisis and the prolonged post-crisis ... Read more

Top 5 Reasons To Choose A Community Bank Or Credit Union

Most locally owned banks and credit unions offer the same array of services, from online bill paying to debit and credit cards, at much lower cost than big banks. Average fees at small banks and credit unions are substantially lower than at big banks, according to national data. Studies ... Read more

Sign Of Hope Or Worry? When The Dollar Store Comes To Town

On a “mission to save my neighborhood,” Burnell Cotlon, an Army veteran, built his Lower 9th Ward Market literally by hand, shingle by shingle. Today, his counter wall features cameo shots with Mark Zuckerberg. The launderette out back was donated by Ellen DeGeneres. There are shiny ... Read more

The Radical Way Berlin Plans To Solve Its Housing Crisis

Berlin ― A sea of placards streamed across Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, a large public square under the shadow of the city’s massive TV tower, with bold messages daubed in paint and printed across placards. “The City Belongs to Us!” “My Home, Not Your Profit!” “I Don’t Want to Move!” ... Read more

Public And Cooperative Sector Contribution To Innovation

There is a widespread belief that the driving force of innovation is competition between companies. The government is viewed as an obstacle holding back the full potential of entrepreneurs with outdated regulation. However, practically all tech start-ups that are poster-boys for ... Read more

A Cure For Excessive Wealth Disorder

This isn’t your parents’ inequality influenza, but a more virulent strain of extreme disparities of income, wealth, and opportunity. Just 400 billionaires have as much wealth as nearly two-thirds of American households combined. And just three individuals — Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates — have ... Read more

Why Can’t We Close The Racial Wealth Gap?

If the college cheating scandal has reinforced anything, it’s that one of the primary advantages of being wealthy is that the wealthy can buy more advantages. This helps explain why African Americans, who’ve historically been denied wealth, lag in almost every category of society behind whites, who have ... Read more

How My Republican Parents Convinced Me The U.S. Needs Single-Payer Healthcare

Twice, my Republican mother has almost died from a lack of affordable health care, but she still hates the idea of a single-payer system. The first time she almost died she was at age 21. Her appendix ruptured because she’d put off seeing a doctor until she could get ... Read more

When Cities Shut The Water Off

In 2014, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department started its most recent egregious campaign of mass water shutoffs that targeted low-income, residential customers who were behind in payments. In June of that year, rumors started to surface about poisoned public water in Flint, Michigan. Both issues marked the ... Read more