The Idea Lobby Archives

News in Brief

In ‘Open Government Data,’ What’s Really Open?

In parsing the meaning of “open government,” citizens weigh the availability of information against the transparency of creating it. It’s a rare grammar debate that affects the course of democracy.

Emily Badger

News in Brief

How Incumbents in Washington Hurt the Economy

Researchers looking at federal government spending on states discover that having a powerful, long-tenured legislator in D.C. actually hurts the local economy.

Emily Badger

Economics

Housing Crisis Hits Poor Renters Hard

As the middle class sidles out of the houses it can no longer pay for, the migration is making it harder for the poorest renters to find a place.

Emily Badger

Education

Public Schools Good for People Without Kids, Too

What makes communities strong and vibrant? Researchers say local schools bring a raft of positives to town — even for the childless — beyond creating an educated populace.

Emily Badger

News in Brief

Think Tanks Are Nonpartisan? Think Again

Once seen as non-ideological “universities without students,” the American think tank has, in many cases, become a partisan stalking horse that devalues the sector’s scholarship.

Emily Badger

Economics

Surplus Government Property: Homeless Help vs. Revenue

Turning unloved federal property into homeless services centers has been federal law for a quarter century, but tough times have bureaucrats hoping to shove that tradition into the cold.

Emily Badger

Economics

Gender Wage Gap Skewed By Survey Flaws

The wage gap between the sexes in America has been closing much faster than anyone realized, but that’s tempered by learning it’s been much wider than measurements had shown.

Emily Badger