Bangalore street

Are There Other Silicon Valleys?

The phrase "Silicon Valley" conjures images of a crowded mini-metropolis in California, and a barrage of familiar Western brands. That's about to change.
San Juan Puerto Rico

What the US Owes Puerto Rico

As historian Déborah Berman Santana writes, the US is very much responsible for molding Puerto Rico’s economy to begin with.
Padlock laptop

The New Censorship

Americans will rail against the government at First Amendment infringements. But the government isn't the only entity that can censor speech or ideas.
credit cards on dollars

How Credit Reporting Agencies Got Their Power

Early credit reporting companies urged people to “Treat their credit as a sacred trust” and argued that keeping a good credit record was a moral concern.
Juicero patent

The Most Important Rule for Startup Success

Startups often don't play by the rules. But a wifi-enabled juicer may have been "trying to solve a problem that didn't exist."
A posh young woman reclining on a deck chair with her hands behind her head

Luxury: Enemy of Virtue, or Economic Engine?

Today, economists tend to see anything that boosts consumption and production as a good thing. But that was decidedly not the case in earlier centuries.
Woman and Giant Typewriter

How Typewriters Changed Everything

Voice recognition technology is beginning to compete with typing. Would the end of typing change the business world forever?
Cairo street scene

Is it Smart To Cut Foreign Aid Because of Human Rights Abuses?

Recently, the US denied Egypt nearly $96 million in international aid, as chastisement for the country's abysmal human rights record.
Nogales Arizona Mexico

The Case for Open Borders

Is a world without borders an idea so crazy it just might work? Scholars weigh in on how open borders might solve the world's immigration problem.
Los Angeles skyline with palm trees in the foreground

How Marketing Made L.A.

In the early 20th century, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce started marketing L.A as an earthquake-free alternative to San Francisco.