While it is too soon to say whether Pope Francis’ speech will be well received by Congress, a new online survey shows that American Catholics are likely to agree with his less-than-traditional message. “The Shriver Report Snapshot: Insight Into the Conscience of the Complex Catholic” found that 86 percent of […] Read more »
Don’t worry about special interests
… Any free political system gives extra influence to those who have intense preferences. The difficulty is making sure differences in influence are mostly due to preference intensity, not social and economic inequalities. Not an easy task. Unfortunately, the US is mostly going in the wrong direction. Economic inequality has […] Read more »
The Challenge of Shared Prosperity
In the 2015 survey on U.S. competitiveness, HBS alumni weigh in on the current state and future trajectory of U.S. competitiveness as well as the structural strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. business environment. In addition, alumni delve deeper into two aspects of competitiveness: the health of entrepreneurship in the […] Read more »
Discomfort with Social Directions Marks a Charged Political Landscape
Americans by a wide margin express discomfort with the country’s direction on social issues, a potentially potent force in political preferences. Just 34 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’re comfortable with the country’s social direction, while 63 percent are uncomfortable. Indeed more than four in 10 […] Read more »
Who Will Benefit From the Issues Mix in 2016?
… What issues will be decisive in 2016, and who has the advantage? Right now we can’t know the answer to those questions, but Democrats may have the initial edge. While the country is divided on cultural issues, there is little doubt that progressives — and Democrats — are seen […] Read more »
An opportunity gamed away
… It is a downbeat reality for a region that for much of the second half of the 20th century was actually closing its gap with the rest of the country, helped by the federal war on poverty and the end of legalized segregation. But during the past 15 years […] Read more »