Welcome to our online forum for discussion of important public issues by social scientists. We seek to prompt this discussion by periodically asking "The Council Question." Suggestions for future questions are welcome at communications@ssrc.org.
The newspaper business is in crisis. The Christian Science Monitor announced last month that it would cease publishing a weekday paper, and staff lay-offs are becoming commonplace—not only at big metro newspapers, including the LA Times and New York Times, but also at many mid-sized papers. [...]
A cornerstone of the Obama campaign was a call for national unity and renewal of public spirit: “Yes we can!” Yet this comes after an era of intensified inequality, amid a sharp financial crisis and growing unemployment, and during polarizing international conflicts. What early policies can President Obama pursue that will in fact renew social [...]
What do we know about bailouts from previous experience and existing theory? How can this inform the current public discussion of government actions in the US and other countries? [...]