Licoricia of Winchester

Licoricia of Winchester, Jewish Widow and Medieval Financier

The story of Licoricia of Winchester illustrates just how much wealth and influence a Jewish woman could accumulate.
Smart Fourtwo Passion Coupe parked in driveway

The Cost of Going Hybrid

What makes us buy hybrid cars? Going beyond the environmental argument.
Tailgating at a football game

How Beer Companies Made Light Beer Macho

Light beer was originally marketed for its reduced calorie count. But heavy drinking men weren't into that.
Birth of Venus - Sandro Botticelli [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

What Early Economists Thought About Sex

We take a look at how sex was viewed by early economists, from Sir William Petty to Adam Smith to Jeremy Bentham.
A U.S. Treasury Note

Introducing “Treasury Notes”

Treasury Notes, a new JSTOR Daily column, will discuss money in its historical context.
Public relations planning and strategy

The PR Question: How Public Relations Found Itself

Public Relations or PR wasn't always so fundamental to business. There was a time when we didn't really know what it meant.
Slum

America: A Welfare Nation

We think of welfare as social security for the economically vulnerable. Maybe it's time we rightfully enlarge what we mean by the term.
Butter-making, Appalachia, USA, c1917. 
(Photo by EFD SS/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Gender and Family Farms: An Investigation

We look at how gender affects the roles of men, women, and children on family farms in Appalachia.
Row of workers at their desks

How Temp Jobs Changed Everything

Temporary employment, popularly known as temp jobs, skyrocketed in the 1990s. A look at its dramatic impact on the labor market.
Crowed escalator

Consumerism: An Economic Critique

Consumerism, a hallmark of American life, may not be as beneficial as we all think.