Politics tends to flatten people. Over time, complex lives get reduced to a handful of talking points, a voting record,… Read more
Mapping the Mechanics of Power: A New Civic Tool for Midterms
Democracy is one of the most discussed subjects in American public life and one of the least examined. Citizens are… Read more
The Creative Economy Is Not a Niche. It Is the New Default.
Consider Marcus, a software engineer in Indianapolis who has not written a straightforward line of code in years. His job,… Read more
Stability Versus Growth in Late-Stage Capitalism
There is a man in his mid-fifties who works in logistics outside of Columbus, Ohio. He owns his home outright,… Read more
The New Town Square Has a Login Screen
A generation ago, if you wanted to find the cultural center of gravity, you could do worse than stand in… Read more
The Things That Still Work and the People Who Keep Them Working
There are moments in a long project when it is worth pausing to look around and take stock of who… Read more
The Show Must Still Go On
Every generation is convinced that the arts are in decline. People say nobody goes to plays anymore. Nobody listens to… Read more
The Machinery of Democracy: 250 Years and Counting
There is a gymnasium in a small Indiana town where, every other November, a few dozen folding tables are arranged… Read more
The Economy Shifted From Ownership to Access and Nobody Announced It
Consider a composite figure who is easy to find in any American city right now: a healthcare administrator, say, 39… Read more
Where America Still Meets Face to Face
Saturday mornings in much of America still begin the same way. Folding tables go up before the sun is fully… Read more