To Reduce Poverty, Expand the Welfare State
The policy solutions to poverty are simple: redistribute capital ownership and expand the welfare state.
20380 Article(s) by: Tanner Howard
Tanner Howard is a freelance journalist and In These Times editorial intern. They’re also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
In Poland, Austerity Targets Ukrainian Refugees
Polish president Karol Nawrocki is shutting off welfare benefits for Ukrainians in Poland. Earlier welcomed as refugees, Ukrainians are now pushed into a role as second-class guestworkers in their host country.
Yevgeni Preobrazhensky’s Plan to Build a Socialist Economy
The Russian Marxist Yevgeni Preobrazhensky drew up one of the most sophisticated blueprints for building a socialist economy in an underdeveloped country like Russia. Stalin’s terror silenced Preobrazhensky, but his writings are now being rediscovered.
Highest 2 Lowest Is a Cringeworthy Remake of a Classic
Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest attempts to remake a beloved Akira Kurosawa film about the injustices of a class-stratified society all while sidestepping class. Even Denzel Washington can’t save this misfire.
The Maritime Oil Trade Keeps Global Capitalism Afloat
The pandemic caused unprecedented disruption to the global shipping of oil, but the industry survived with the help of massive state intervention. Control over the oil trade is a vital tool of economic power that the US is determined to retain.
Katrina Set the Stage for New Orleans’s Capture by Investors
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 20 years ago today. In the years after the storm, the city became a laboratory of Frankenstein proportions for the most extreme forms of privatization and deregulation.
ICE Is Draining Funds From FEMA
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is siphoning ever more resources and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, threatening national preparedness for climate disasters.
Proving the German Media Bias Against Palestinians
German reporting on the Middle East has long been criticized as one-sided. Our exclusive analysis of 5,000 headlines from leading German media outlets since October 7 shows the bias is even worse than suspected.
The Long Twilight of Central Bankism
Historically low levels of inflation and a defeated labor movement made the era of central bank independence possible. But the 2008 crash repoliticized the institution. Donald Trump’s attack on Lisa Cook is a backlash that has been brewing ever since.
How the Pharma Industry Botched Alzheimer’s Treatment
Journalist Charles Piller has exposed a pattern of shoddy and even fraudulent practices in Alzheimer’s research. It shows the drug research system needs serious reform, but health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is engaged in reckless vandalism instead.
Fred Ross Changed Community Organizing
Community organizer Fred Ross Sr was a key figure in progressive activism during the 20th century. He started in the 1930s farmworker camps that inspired John Steinbeck’s novels and went on to pioneer methodical tactics that transformed American organizing.
Libya’s EU-Backed Coast Guard Attacked a Migrant Rescue Ship
On Sunday, the migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking was attacked by armed men in international waters. The assailants: the Libyan Coast Guard, sponsored by the European Union to police the Mediterranean.
The Center Left Is in Denial About NATO’s New Normal
NATO members across Europe have embraced Donald Trump’s call to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense. Many social democrats argue that this shouldn’t come at the cost of welfare cuts, but they refuse to challenge the military spending plan itself.
“Education Reform” Has Undermined Public Schools’ Popularity
School privatization efforts are making dangerous advances in states like Florida and Arizona. Neoliberal education reforms that have degraded public schools, from high-stakes testing to corporatized visions of education, are in part to blame.
The Curious Case of Steve Bannon’s Tactics
Self-described Leninist Steve Bannon recognized that online platforms and movement tactics can be turned into political weapons. His success shows how tactics developed for solidarity can be twisted into resentment.
Corporate Media Doesn’t Want to Talk About Greedflation
Corporate media has routinely downplayed the role of corporate profiteering in driving inflation, often citing industry talking points or providing no explanation at all for crippling inflation over the past few years.
Why the Left Should Care About Population Decline
Population decline is not just about human extinction. Before it ends, human civilization will grow increasingly unpleasant — and communal ideals associated with left-wing politics will become increasingly difficult to sustain.
An Electoral Strategy for a New York City Socialist Agenda
New York City socialists have to figure out how to scale up quickly with a potential Zohran Mamdani mayoralty on the horizon.
Trump’s Protectionism Protects the 1 Percent
Donald Trump’s tariffs amount to a stealth tax on the middle and working classes, wrapped in the language of sovereignty. In practice, it’s upward redistribution and corporate price-gouging, fueling inequality that corrodes stability and erodes democracy.
Luck Shouldn’t Determine Our Fates
Socialists accept that some degree of inequality may be inevitable in a complex society. But there’s one kind of inequality that’s intolerable: the kind where resources are allocated according to factors that individuals can’t control.