Category Archives: Social policy

The Geopolitics of the Commencement of Ramadan

From Saudi oil influence to local sightings in Morocco, the commencement of Ramadan serves as a symbol of global Islamic geopolitics

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Curiousities, Middle East, Politics, Social policy on February 19, 2026 by Curro Jimenez.

The Myth of the West: Democracy and the State

Per Thomas Neuburger ‘Democratic’ life began millions of years ago. It died with the birth of the city-state.

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Income disparity, Politics, Social policy, Social values on February 19, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Urban Slums: Stepping-Stone for Some and Traps (or Shields) for Others

A study in Brazil found that urban slums can offer upward mobility due to access to public education. But how true is that around the world?

This entry was posted in Dubious statistics, Guest Post, Income disparity, Social policy on February 17, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Ralph Linton (1936), Identity Politics, and the Concept of Ascribed Status

Ralph Linton, arguably the father of what we now call identity politics, had some impressive insights as well as blind spots.

This entry was posted in Guest Post, Media watch, Politics, Social policy, Social values on February 16, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Coffee Break: Science Agonistes, with Hope at the End

Part the First: Confirmation the Scientific Literature Has Entered Terminal Decline? In an update from last week’s Coffee Break, Cabell’s Predatory Reports database passes 20,000-journal milestone: The US-based information services company reports that Predatory Reports has grown by more than 300% since its launch in 2017. Having reached 10,000 journals in 2019 and 15,000 in […]

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Science and the scientific method, Social policy, Social values on February 13, 2026 by KLG.

More Handwringing About Collapsing Birth Rates: How Focus on Gender Roles Misses the Mark

Sentimentality about child-rearing is leading experts not to look clinically enough at why birth rates around the world are plunging.

This entry was posted in Economic fundamentals, Social policy, Social values on February 13, 2026 by Yves Smith.

Why Governments Insist on CBDCs or Stablecoins When Most People Don’t Want Them

CBDCs could create a two-tier wealth system: non-programmable assets for the elite and total digital surveillance for the population.

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Doomsday scenarios, Macroeconomic policy, Politics, Social policy on February 12, 2026 by Curro Jimenez.

Health and Wellbeing in the Age of Diagnosis

In this modern world, sometimes it seems that everyone has “something,” and many of these conditions are relatively “new” and their incidence is increasing. Leading diagnoses from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), include ADHD, autism, depression, and anxiety. Conditions that have become more common in recent years that have no primary […]

This entry was posted in Health care, Science and the scientific method, Social policy, Social values on February 11, 2026 by KLG.

The Finance Curse Is Killing Britain

A well-warranted harsh look at the high cost an overly-large and ever-more-extractive finance sector imposes on society as a whole.

America’s Real Health Crisis? Inequality— and a Generation Pays

Raw milk won’t cut it. Even being rich won’t save you. The fast track to improving health in America is tackling inequality

Why Futuristic, Tech-Centered ‘Smart City’ Projects Are Destined To Fail

Why the smart city idea regular falls short of its hype.

Coffee Break: Science and Medicine, Bad and Good

Part the First: Predatory or Not? Over the past six years the biomedical literature has accumulated 494,547 scientific “publications” with “COVID” (case insensitive) somewhere in the paper. A search using “AIDS HIV” as the query returns 204,559 papers over the past forty-five years. Something does not add up here. And that something is the nature […]

This entry was posted in Coffee Break, Health care, Science and the scientific method, Social policy, Social values on February 6, 2026 by KLG.