The Big Idea
Outside contributors’ opinions and analysis of the most important issues in politics, science, and culture.
When users abuse a platform, who is responsible?
Even within programs designed to help victims of crisis, the US skims off top performers.
America has a rich history of moral panics. This isn’t one.
Unlike many economists today, they questioned fundamental social structure.
Platforms are busily pulling shows and movies. But viewers still face tough moral and aesthetic decisions.
Don’t be taken in by the document’s faux-reasonable tone.
It seemed awful. But overall, it was a great year for humanity.
With borrowing rates so low, deficit-financed stimulus might be just what’s called for.
In many states, unwanted touching isn’t just boorish. It’s illegal.
What almost everyone gets wrong about the campus free speech debate.
The media is crediting him with a tax overhaul victory. But he still holds remarkably little clout in Washington.
My students trust colleges to control offensive speech. They shouldn’t.
For many, the 37 percent top rate is just an opening bid.
The word captures something crucial about the faction that took over the Democratic Party after Reagan.
States don’t have to stand by and watch the ACA implode.
Republican elites lost control of the primary, and rank-and-file voters don’t care.
The worst way to do policy is through the courts. But that could be where we’re headed.
Don’t trust “woke Bill Kristol.”
Political science (and common sense) says they ought to pay a price at the polls. They might not.
The right went too far with Masterpiece Cakeshop. But liberals need not fear reasonable religious exemptions.
Same-sex marriage and religious liberty can coexist.
An employment lawyer weighs in.
They have an opening to protect DREAMers and strengthen the ACA. They must seize it.
Women turned a place rife with abuse into the base of a social movement. It’s not the first time.
Oral arguments begin Wednesday over updating the Fourth Amendment for a smartphone world.
Political scientists use new tools — and draw on psychology — to explain how and why “social geography” shapes attitudes.
Why a charity focused on giving cash to East Africa started working near Houston.
Some people must pay more than is “fair.”
The concept of “revocable assent” would massively increase the risks for predators.
Blame the Supreme Court
They’re rewarding capital, punishing labor — and dismantling the tax code welfare state.
Yes, we should increase fertility. But that doesn’t mean we should stop welcoming foreigners.
In the mid-1800s, politics were indispensable to making friends, becoming an adult, and even getting laid.
Some allies say Trump should exercise the pardon power to shut down a “biased” investigation. Here’s how that could backfire.
Instead, it’s a gift to people with lots of capital.
New scholarship on Rome reminds us of the fragility of human societies in the face of nature.
It relies on voluntary compliance — which basically invites lobbyists to flout the law.
They’ll require spending cuts, or tax increases in other areas. Either could hurt many American families.
John Mitchell ended up in jail. Will Paul Manafort?
It’s not just about Trump. Power has shifted markedly toward non-elected figures like Steve Bannon and Sean Hannity.