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Business of America
Of all the events of the recent financial crisis, none shook the American establishment as profoundly as the fall of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. News articles described the firm as an “institution” of American capitalism, employing...
Letter from the Editor
On Jan. 17, 1925 President Calvin Coolidge remarked that the “business of the American people is business.” Pundits and politicians invoke this often-cited dictum to confirm that we live in a land of capitalism and free markets, and to remind...
Regulating an Industry Without Really Trying
Boring is Best in Financial Reform The most famous story of Wall Street is of an out-of-town visitor brought to Lower Manhattan and shown the dazzling boats...
A Degenerative Company
Will the new GM ever be another General Motors? Throughout the 1980s General Motors controlled almost half of the American automobile market, and since...
Shareholders to the Rescue
Congress’s plan for giving investors a voice The eternal optimist can take heart that Wall Street’s near-meltdown over the past year has at...
The Siren Call
Will Harvard’s graduates still flock to finance? From those already interning as summer analysts to those with an active disdain for such work, no Harvard...
Whither the Fed?
In reform, a return to monetary policy With the spotlight on the Federal Reserve in the wake of the financial crisis, the Obama administration and Congress...
The Problem with Bankers’ Pay
Exorbitant compensation threatens the stability of the banking system Few people caught in the throes of last year’s financial...
Clean Energy, Dirty Politics
The difficulty of green job promotion Since its inception, the environmental movement has largely defined itself against corporate exploitation, and supported...
Endpaper: The Fierce Urgency of Whatever
In a culture that often values boldness above all else, American politics is surprisingly allergic to big ideas. Despite the clamor over President Obama’s...
Current Issue: Spring 2010
Religion in America
- Is Godless Great? A New Heyday for American Secularism
The American Way of Faith Compromise, innovation, and tradition
Read more