Category Archives: Social policy

Heartland Institute Podcast Questions Whether All Americans ‘Should Have the Right to Vote’

Heartland Institute, an ultra-conservative, climate-denialist, Trump-adjacent think tank, questions whether all adults should vote.

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Income disparity, Legal, Politics, Social policy, Social values, Taxes, The destruction of the middle class on May 7, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Economic Management in War: Professor Michael Hudson in Discussion with Ian Proud

An informative and wide-ranging conversation of how economic policies can neglect, support, or impede the prosecution of war

The Credibility Crisis in Science

Albert Einstein was chosen by Time magazine as the Person of the Twentieth Century. It was a good choice (and now is a good time to read Einstein more than seventy years after his death in April 1955, here and here). As noted by Thomas Plümper and Eric Neumayer in their newly published book, The […]

This entry was posted in Politics, Science and the scientific method, Social policy, Social values on May 6, 2026 by KLG.

The Fertility Panic Is a Racist, Sexist Tool to Push More Austerity

The fertility freakout conveniently ignores that being a mother is not a great deal and that for planetary health, fewer babies is desirable.

Coffee Break: American Science in the Crosshairs, Nuclear Nightmares, and a Vision of a Good Life

Part the First: The Attack on American Science Continues, Unabated. A few days ago the president fired the National Science Board (NSB), all twenty-two members of a statutory twenty-five, who served staggered six-year terms that preserved institutional memory. The NSB was created pursuant to the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to “recommend and encourage […]

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Doomsday scenarios, Science and the scientific method, Social policy, Social values on May 1, 2026 by KLG.

Teens’ Social Media Behaviour in 43 Countries – Those From Disadvantaged Backgrounds Face Greater Harms

Quelle surprise! Social media kingpins are more successful at exploiting the lower orders

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Health care, Media watch, Social policy, Social values, Technology and innovation on April 30, 2026 by Yves Smith.

To Solve Homelessness, Fix the Economy

A dangerous right-wing solution to homelessness is to hide the unhoused in out-of-sight detention camps

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Income disparity, Politics, Social policy, The destruction of the middle class on April 25, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Food Stamp Work Rules Don’t Increase Employment, Researchers Say

Quelle surprise! Punitive food stamp restrictions do not produce an increase in work levels.

Palantir’s Manifesto Is the Agenda of the New Class Reconfiguring the System’s Power Structure

Palantir’s manifesto is the stated agenda of a new class within the system’s power structure, driven by a binary worldview of 0 and 1

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Politics, Social policy, Social values, Technology and innovation on April 23, 2026 by Curro Jimenez.

Industrial Agriculture and the Future of Food and Health

We have discussed the Great American Food System (GAFS) throughout this series, most recently in review of What to Eat Now (2025) by Marion Nestle. That the GAFS is productive, in both tonnage and profit (for some) is a given. But a common view of its critics is that much of this production is misguided, […]

This entry was posted in Agriculture, Politics, Social policy, Social values on April 22, 2026 by KLG.

What Does it Mean to Work Under Algorithmic Eyes?

AI surveillance and algorithmic management threaten worker autonomy and dignity.

Louisiana Advances One of the Country’s ‘Cruelest’ Anti-Homeless Bills

One homeless advocacy group said the bill, which would require homeless people to perform unpaid labor to pay for involuntary treatment, “evokes debtor’s prisons, convict leasing, and the ugliest day of Jim Crow.”

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Market inefficiencies, Privatization, Social policy, Social values on April 20, 2026 by Conor Gallagher.

Bombing Schools Abroad, Destroying Education at Home

As the US and Israel work to destroy Iranian education centers and cultural heritage sites, US oligarchs want to put a meter on knowledge.

Sanders Leads Launch of ‘Union Now’ Movement to Fight ‘Status Quo Economics’

Union Now event featuring Sanders, NYC Mayor Mamdani, and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA international president Sara Nelson hits right notes, but is thus far light on details.

This entry was posted in CEO compensation, Income disparity, Politics, Social policy, Social values, The destruction of the middle class on April 13, 2026 by Conor Gallagher.