Big Ideas

Going Further: The Attention Economy David Robinson 01/18/2007

Many writers have weighed in on the ways attention shapes our world. Some are better than others—here’s an overview.

Rebuilding Brand America Dick Martin 01/10/2007

Finding it hard to believe that a man in a cave has been able to out-communicate the country that invented Hollywood and Madison Avenue, many think tanks have recommended that the government tap the expertise of U.S. businesses to explain itself abroad. This week they’ll get their wish when the State Department co-sponsors a “Private Sector Summit” with representatives of corporate America and their communications consultants. With luck, the focus will not be on marketing, sales, or publicity.

Forgive Us Our Debts Aparna Mathur 01/08/2007

New research finds that one of the best ways to encourage people to start businesses is to have lenient bankruptcy laws, writes APARNA MATHUR. We need to send the message that it’s O.K. to fail.

Our New Friend: The English Language Janani Sreenivasan 01/02/2007

Facebook's constant chatter is building a generation of surprisingly thoughtful writers.

Three Cheers for High Tuition David Robinson 12/14/2006

Tuition hikes at public universities aren't necessarily a moral problem. They might be a symptom of progress.

The New Economic Map of America Joel Kotkin 12/13/2006

The geography of the U.S. economy is constantly shifting. Now, writes JOEL KOTKIN, the hinterlands are getting their revenge on the big cities of the East and West Coasts. Towns like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and St. George, Utah, are the winners. The losers are ‘hip’ cities like Boston and San Francisco, which don’t seem to know it yet.

American Dreamer James Bowman 12/08/2006

Theodore Dreiser’s novel, ‘An American Tragedy,’ was based on a real-life murder 100 years ago. Its pernicious plotline continues to resonate. An anti-hero flails helplessly in the grip of a force he is powerless to control—America itself, with its promises of wealth, luring innocents to destruction.

In China's Shadow: The Crisis of American Entrepreneurship Reed Hundt 12/05/2006

Looking East Toward the Dawn

Why Do We Underpay Our Best CEOs? Dominic Basulto 12/05/2006

Sure, some CEOs aren’t worth their outrageous compensation, but a bigger problem is that large public companies, in many cases, don’t pay enough. The best and brightest minds are increasingly drawn from running key businesses to other pursuits that may not be as socially useful—but pay much more.

Does Anybody Really Know How to Limit Government? Todd Seavey 11/30/2006

They said they'd keep the federal government strictly limited—and they failed. No, I don't mean the Republicans in Congress. I’m talking about a far more esteemed group of intellectuals: the Federalists, who urged the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.