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Inequality Studies
A comparison of wealth gaps in ancient empires reveals stark differences and lasting consequences.
From King Midas to Gordon Gekko, humanity has struggled to grasp greed's true nature.
In 2021, residents of the top America could expect to live 20.4 years longer than residents of the bottom America.
The electoral reform also known as instant-runoff voting promises bridge-building and broad appeal instead of culture war and gridlock.
"We’re acting more like fans of a football team going to a game than a banker carefully choosing investments."
The annual rite of passage has always been more about the ambivalence of adults than the amusement of children.
Beef production is largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions from the food system.
Consumer debt shapes American lives so thoroughly that it seems eternal and immortal, but it’s actually relatively new to the financial world.
The National Defense Education Act of 1958 meshed with white anxiety about the desegregation of schools.
There are many problems with relying on SAT and ACT scores for college admissions. But removing them entirely creates less opportunity.
The pseudoscience phrenology swept the popular imagination, and its practitioners made a mint preying on prejudices, gullibility, and misinformation.
According to the CDC, 50 countries worldwide have drinkable tap water. But look closer, and the picture is more nuanced.
Australian soldiers fighting the Japanese recruited native New Guineans to their campaign.
Is true equality achievable — or even desirable? Go on a journey through the strange and unsettling "Land of Justice."
John Templeton Foundation
If a person stands little chance of ever being wealthy, perhaps playing the lottery is a rational decision.
Some Europeans really don't want to use the internet.
The insanity of the academic job market laid out in numbers.
There is one House member for every 761,169 people, which isn't exactly representative.
From Aristotle's lazy cosmology to Immanuel Kant's "scientific" racism, great minds are not immune to very bad ideas.
About the project The goal of driving more progress across the world—scientifically, politically, economically, socially, etc—is one shared by many. And yet, debates about the best way to maximize progress […]
Two ICU physicians offer a new approach to stopping it.
Seattle slowly raised its minimum wage to $15 per hour. The results provide fuel for both sides of the minimum wage debate.
Can Detroit get its comeback right?
Science doesn't fit neatly into ideology.
John Templeton Foundation
It's the clitoris, stupid!
Understanding the factors behind recent growth could help us better approach inequality.
We are generally taught that there is an arc of history — an inevitable path of progress that leads to modern society. Maybe it isn't true.
Americans have a lower life expectancy than people in other rich countries despite paying much more for healthcare. We explore the number of factors which might explain this difference.
Winner takes all, losers die, and participants have no choice but to play.
A far-ranging conversation about telescopes, what they do, and who they impact. When most of us think of astronomy, we think about two types of scientists: the observers who point their […]