What’s Inside That Black Box: What Regulating Data Privacy and Policing Drunk Driving Have in Common
Two recent NYT stories – on data privacy and drunk driving – highlight the dangers of unquestioned reliance on omnipotent back boxes.
Read more...Category Archives: Banana republic
Public Pension Funds Criticized for Profiting From Private Equity’s “Surprise Billing” Abuse
Surprise billing is such a widespread abuse that it is managing to bring private equity chicanery and public pension funds’ tacit support of it to long-overdue public attention.
Read more...Flip Flop: UK Halts Fracking in England, Effective Immediately, Over Earthquake Fears
UK halts all fracking in England with immediate effect. On its face, a big win, but will the Tories make the moratorium permanent?
Read more...PG&E Blackouts Spur Calls for Public Ownership
PG&E cut power to millions throughout California this month as fires blaze across the state. The move has prompted many to call to municipalize the company. Democracy Collaborative researcher Johanna Bozuwa explains.
Read more...‘Another Gift’ to Big Business as Trump Treasury Moves to Eliminate Rules Against Corporate Tax Avoidance
Another day, another Trump gift to the wealthy, this one in the form of a corporate tax break.
Read more...What Randomised Control Trials Can and Cannot Do: The 2019 Nobel Prize
A long-form discussion of the randomised approach celebrated in this year’s “Nobel” for economics.
Read more...Neoliberalism Tells Us We’re Selfish Souls – How Can We Promote Other Identities?
Public support for co-operation, collective ownership and mutual care have persisted, despite the popularity of some of the neoliberal agenda. What policies could the left pursue to build from where we are now?
Read more...California Nursing Home Residents Told To Find New Homes
A nursing home case study in profiteering.
Read more...‘Is This About the Oil Industry?’ House Oversight Hearing Explores Big Oil’s Role in Weakening Clean Car Standards
Oil industry lobbies to weaken emissions standards, deploying “public interest groups” that are mere mouthpieces for fossil fuel companies.
Read more...The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic: Part 4 of 4: The Empire as Hegemonic “Banana Republic” Ruled by Caudillos
The finale in a short history of the Roman Republic.
Read more...The Oil Mystery Undermining An Aramco IPO
Why might investors be skittish about Aramco’s oil reserve claims?
Read more...Joe Biden’s Acceptance of Super PAC Shows Campaign’s Desperation
Biden’s acceptance of super PACS shows how desperate his campaign is – and also reveals who pays the piper, calls the tune.
Read more...Global Protests Round-Up, Proposed Causes: Global Slump, Income Inequality, Social Media (and More)
Today’s global protests are an enormous story, bigger than Occupy. Here are some of the frames that journalists are using to cover them.
Read more...The Boss on Board: Mafia Infiltrations, Firm Performance, and Local Economic Growth
Italian firms infiltrated by the Mafia are disproportionately in the utilities and financial services sectors and that infiltration has a strong negative effect on local long-term employment growth.
Read more...Elizabeth Warren’s Plan-itis: Excessive Lobbying Case Study
A hard look at a Warren plan reveals a lot not to like.
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