Why Are Tax Forms So Complicated?
When it comes to the U.S. tax system, benefits are often indirect, which makes them more politically palatable to many.
When Scientific Management Came to Japan
Japanese workers, many of them women, worked up to 17 hours a day in the early 20th century. Yet experts still wondered why they “wasted” time.
How Toothpaste Got Scientific Cred
Would you brush with a toothpaste for the sweet taste alone or because of its touted health benefits? The answer wasn't always so obvious.
Selling Hedonism in Postwar America
The hedonism of American consumer culture is the result of deliberate efforts by mid-twentieth century marketing experts.
Why There Is No “Countervailing Power” Against Monopolies
The New Deal revolutions in law and policy were so successful that the economist John Kenneth Galbraith took their accomplishment for granted.
Is Multi-Level Marketing Really Just a Pyramid Scheme?
Offering products as their main revenue base allows MLMs to operate legally, but they often have fundamentally the same ethical issues as pyramid schemes.
What Comes After Oil Culture?
Almost everything about our culture today is built on oil. Can we imagine a world built on a different energy infrastructure?
Who Was Elsie, besides the World’s Most Famous Cow?
In the Great Depression, Borden sought a new spokescow to help preserve its traditional agrarian image.
Only You Can Prevent Useless Gifts
Is it time for a revival of the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving (SPUG)?