Examining Trump’s Military Budget
The United States' calling card is its strong military. What role does military spending play in the federal budget? And is more always better?
Why Do We Have “Free Trade” For Televisions, But Not For Corn?
While the U.S. opens industries to market competition at home and abroad, we give our agricultural producers a lot of protection, including big subsidies.
How Car Ads Started Selling Sizzle
In the 1920s car ads began changing. Specialists began to craft auto manufacturer's images solely to please their customers.
The QWERTY Truth
How did the QWERTY keyboard became the gold standard? The answer is probably not what you'd think. Welcome to the economic concept of "path dependence."
Why Ronald Reagan Became the Great Deregulator
How did deregulation, and related ideas about how to run the economy, become so central to American politics? Look to Reagan for the answer.
The Ethical Case for Profits
The frequency of ethical lapses among executives suggests that there exists an alternate moral framework in corporate culture.
Why Do We Take Pride in Working for a Paycheck?
In the modern imagination, work is a source of pride, but early labor unions regarded hourly toil in industry as "wage slavery."
The Hidden Subtext of Vagrancy
In recent years, activists in cities across the country have repeatedly clashed with municipal officials over anti-vagrancy laws.
How Mr. Coffee Made Coffee Manly
Mr. Coffee, the first electric-drip coffee machine for home use, debuted in 1972, forever changing the way Americans made coffee.
How Political Events Change Currency Value
What causes shifts in currency after a political event is, essentially, human expectations.