How Corporations Build Social Capital for Profit
It's not surprising that corporations have found ways to exploit human kindness for profits.
Rick Paulas
Rick Paulas is a Pacific Standard contributing writer.
Why National Borders Are Bad for Workers
As long as national borders are strictly enforced, workers at the bottom of the labor ladder will be pitted against one another.
How Corporations Benefit From Flexible Work
Remote work leads to increased productivity and longer hours.
The Case Against Milton Friedman's Capitalism
The free market is a theoretical fiction, with enormous social costs.
How Corporations Use History to Their Advantage
Companies can reach into their archives to reaffirm their culture and demonstrate a differentiating legacy.
How to Prevent Corporations From Profiting Off Environmental Disasters
Environmental bonds guarantee corporate payment for clean-up and encourage more cautious use of land.
The Limits of Corporate Activism
Corporations can help apply positive pressure for social change, but their profit motives should make us wary of letting them displace moral leaders.
Did the Enron Scandal Really Change Executive Compensation?
While it inspired new regulations, executives have mostly found a way around them.
Instead of Going to Court, Corporations Pay Lobbyists for Favorable Results
Corporations that have higher numbers of employment cases brought against them spend more money on lobbyists, who help influence courts and change labor laws.
Why We're Behind on Saving the World
The United Nations' sustainable development goals have two critical problems: they contradict one another, and they focus on economic growth.
The Hidden Signals in Corporate Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies
The ritual can reveal much more about government-business relations than you'd think, according to a new analysis.
Do Corporations Make Any Sense?
If the old corporate goal was to claim as many assets and employees as possible, the new one is to hand production off to external vendors and contract labor.
Why Cities Shouldn't Bend Over Backwards for Corporations
A lesson for public officials courting Amazon.
The Congressional Bill That Puts Profit Over Public Health
The Regulatory Accountability Act would subject the rule-making process to red tape.
The Difficult Proposition of Getting Corporations Out of University Science
Universities need corporations for research funding, and the political will for an alternative solution is limited.
How the Supreme Court Made It Easier for Corporations to Fight Class Action Lawsuits
Rulings in recent years have effectively forced consumers to file class actions in the region where the corporation is based or to disaggregate claims into separate filings.
How the Conflict Minerals Rule Failed
Enforcement was left up to consumers, and many legitimate mining operations were shuttered.
New Database Examines How the United States Prosecutes Corporate Crime
Fines for companies have risen over the last 25 years, but the number of prosecutions has remained roughly the same, according to information compiled by a University of Virginia law professor and his research team.
How Powerful Corporate Copyright Is Killing the Repair Industry
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 was meant to protect artists and programmers, but it has ended up preventing consumers from fixing their products.
Is a Tax Repatriation Holiday a Good Idea?
The 2004 holiday didn't work as intended, and there's little reason to believe another one will be any different.
Do Ethics Have a Place in Business Schools?
Research tends to show that business school tanks ethical and moral standards. But a generational shift is offering new hope.
The Story Behind Portland's Corporate Divestiture
A fierce group of local activists, including a cappella group Raging Grannies, brought about a deciding vote. Though Portland will likely lose $4.5 million annually starting in 2020, its city council will have more time to address other pressing issues, including homelessness.
Should the Government Seize Corporate Stock?
Making the government a shareholder in for-profit companies could actually boost those companies' productivity.
America's Private-Prison Industry Has Always Been All Right
President Donald Trump has restored consumer confidence in private prisons—but they were never in danger of failing to begin with.
How Newsrooms Are Trying to Make the Media Great Again
Public opinion of the media is at an all-time low. How do outlets regain Americans' trust?
The Unique Linguistic Effects of 'Laughing Out Loud'
Historically, written language has been created to represent spoken language. For the first time, that dynamic is working in the opposite direction.
How Bananas Became Big—and Dangerous—Business in Colombia
Two ongoing cases represent the country's new resistance to multinational influence.
The Death of the Suburban Office Park and the Rise of the Suburban Poor
Jobs have gone urban, leaving office space in the suburbs obsolete and a distressed work force further away from help.
The Myth of America's High Corporate Taxes
Is America really the "highest taxed country in the world" for businesses? A new report shows that the answer's not as clear as it seems.
When Corporate Boycotts Work
Unless you're offering a carrot with the stick, your socially conscious boycott could well backfire.
Don't Expect 'Do-Gooder' Corporations to Save the World
B Lab markets their do-gooder stamp of approval as a sign of global citizenship and transparency. In fact, it's a half-measure signifying nothing.
Why American Internet Should Be a Public Utility
The Web market was never really free—those who succeeded were able to do so because they had an initial leg up.
Why Is American Internet So Slow?
Antiquated phone networks and corporate monopolies do not produce fast Internet.
The Promise of a $9 Computer
For those living at or near the poverty line, the expense of a computer is out of the question. But a new low-cost device could change that and more.
Will $9.25 a Month Get Poor Americans Online?
With the rise of low-cost broadband, the new FCC proposal could certainly help. But the way the subsidy works might mean giving up mobile phone service in the process.
On the Front Lines of Computer Literacy
From San Francisco to New York, non-profits and public libraries are educating the technologically illiterate, giving them tools they need to thrive in an ever-shifting world.
The Digital Divide Is About Much More Than Access
A new survey of low- and moderate-income families shows that 94 percent of them have Internet access, but many say it's slow and unreliable.
Meet the People Who Don't Use the Internet
They stay in touch via the postal system, landlines, and pizza dinners.
Bringing Schools Into the 21st Century
When EducationSuperHighway was founded in 2012, only five million students had high-speed broadband access. That number has now jumped to 25 million. What is the blueprint to the organization's success?
Grocery Store Design Is Terrible
It's almost like whoever designed the layout of the store is actually trying to trick us into staying inside of it longer.
Our Limited Understanding of the Fetish
The lack of insightful scientific information on what drives fetishes points toward a loosening of restrictions and a widening of what defines "normal."
Are Pets Really Good for Us?
One of his peers calls him a curmudgeon, but human-animal interaction expert Harold Herzog believes the perceived consensus that pets are good for you is overhyped.
The Dangers of Using Study Confederates
A breakdown of problematic confederates: the biased, the covert, the know-it-all, and the scripted.
The Marriage Proposal Photography Trend
What's accounted for the recent explosion of this super-niche industry? And what does it have to do with 1990s NBA star Shawn Bradley?
What Makes a Good Internet Advertisement?
A targeted experience that doesn't feel like a product pitch.
Why Are Some People Habitually Late?
There's no single root cause, but over-politeness, optimism, multitasking, and a range of other factors can contribute.
Why We Misspeak
How verbal gambles drive you to say strange things, and why it's easy to tell whether someone actually misspoke or not.