The Numbers vs. the Lottery
Between the 1960s and 1980s, state governments created lotteries to supplant illegal gambling operations that brought revenue to marginalized communities.
Debt-Trap Diplomacy
How justified are recent claims that China has been buying significant quantities of debt to undermine the sovereignty of African nations?
The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Policing
The increased use of machines and the division of labor allowed for the production of standardized products. It also made it easier to fence stolen goods.
Marbled Money
Marbled paper was a way to make banknotes and checks unique—a critical characteristic for a nascent American Republic.
Grilling the Globe
Could meat taxes help to curb over-consumption of beef and mitigate climate change?
Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors v. Fiduciary Duty
Asset managers have a fiduciary duty to act in your best interests. Does that include considering ESG factors when investing your money?
Understanding Capitalism Through Cotton
Looking at the development of cotton as a global commodity, explains historian Sven Beckert, helps us understand how capitalism emerged.
Meat and the Free Market
Significant political changes in three major global cities fueled experimentation with laissez-faire economics, which had peculiar effects on the meat market.
An Uncertain Energy Transition a Century Ago
When it came to the transport of goods within local areas, it took decades for the competition among horses, electric vehicles, and gas trucks to shake out.
How Government Helped Create the “Traditional” Family
Since the mid-nineteenth century, many labor regulations in the US have been crafted with the express purpose of strengthening the male-breadwinner family.