Central planners had a rational vision: replace the anarchy of the market with conscious coordination. Vivek Chibber explains why calculation and incentive problems undermined that vision, but a different sort of socialism can still flourish.
Philly Wants to Send a Socialist to Congress
Philadelphia congressional candidate Chris Rabb is candid about his democratic socialist politics, saying, “Socialists need to expose the role of both parties in our crisis and point toward a future where the working class holds power.”
Gustavo Petro’s Last Push to Phase Out Fossil Fuels
Colombia hosted a global summit on phasing out fossil fuels last month. Gustavo Petro’s left-wing government is confronting powerful oil and mining interests, but making Western countries follow suit is not easy.
Corporate Democrats Still Don’t Understand Housing
Cambridge socialist City Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler argues that solving the housing crisis means building more homes while fighting for affordability and tenant power.
How Mohammed Mossadegh’s Liberal Anti-Imperialism Collapsed
In the 1950s, Iran’s secular government nationalized its oil reserves as part of its anti-imperialist agenda. Its overthrow by the US and UK, enabled by Iranian business and religious elites, paved the way for the reactionary revolution that later replaced it.
The Making of the Teenager
The teenager we know today came of age in the postwar era — but she owes her existence to the New Deal.
Socialism cannot mean merely managing capitalism more fairly. It must point toward a society where survival is no longer contingent on the market — and where democracy extends into the economy itself.
Abdallah A., a Nonperson Because of His Instagram Posts
Abdallah A. lived in Germany since he was two months old and last year gained German citizenship. But now he’s been stripped of it because of pro-Palestinian Instagram posts, in a disturbing legal case that points to the rise of citizenship-on-probation.
Zohran Mamdani’s Budget Is a Step in the Right Direction
Up against a governor who vowed not to tax the rich, Zohran Mamdani delivered a New York City budget that isn’t transformative but protects public goods and makes progress on his affordability agenda.
The Surveillance Economy Is Here. This Is How We Fight Back.
Rejecting surveillance capitalism means insisting, clearly and unapologetically, that markets should serve the people — not the other way around, writes NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine.
Trump Wants Wall Street to Manage Your Retirement
Donald Trump is peddling a new plan that would steer Americans’ retirement dollars into Wall Street markets. Instead of shoring up the social safety net, financial experts warn that the White House is moving to privatize it.
Neoliberalism didn’t win an intellectual argument — it won power. Vivek Chibber unpacks how employers and political elites in the 1970s and ’80s turned economic turmoil into an opportunity to reshape society on their terms.
The Profit Motive Behind New Alzheimer’s Treatments
Big Pharma and industry-funded advocacy groups are promoting Alzheimer’s blood testing that could label millions of Americans as sick — despite dangerous treatments for early diagnoses of the disease.
In Britain, Reform UK Defeats a Divided Left
Britain’s local elections saw many left-wing votes shift to Zack Polanski’s Greens. But while the Labour Party’s support is plummeting, the big winners were Reform UK, as Nigel Farage conquers former Labour heartlands.
Zohran Mamdani Is Right to Condemn West Bank Land Sales
After a rowdy protest outside a real estate event at Park East Synagogue, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was widely criticized for egging on the unrest by condemning the sale of West Bank properties. But the criticisms don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Taking a Good, Long Look Into Elon Musk and “Muskism”
A growing share of world infrastructure is dominated by the eccentric, reactionary, annoying billionaire Elon Musk. He is, regrettably, a key figure to understand — which Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian set out to do in Muskism.