What Is Public Choice Theory? How Economics Explains Politics
Public choice theory applies economic reasoning to political actors. Politicians, voters, and bureaucrats pursue self-interest, not the common good.
May 2025
April 2024
What Is Socialism?
Socialism is one of the most contested words in politics. This is a clear-eyed account of what it actually means, what varieties exist, what the...
What Is Neoliberalism? Markets, States, and the Making of the Modern Economy
A thorough guide to neoliberalism: Hayek and Friedman's intellectual foundations, the Chicago School, Thatcherism and Reaganism, globalization and...
What Is Comparative Politics? How Political Scientists Compare the World
Comparative politics is the systematic study of political systems across countries. From Mill's methods and Dahl's polyarchy to Duverger's Law,...
What Is Capitalism: The Economic System That Remade the World
What is capitalism? From Adam Smith and Marx to Piketty and Varieties of Capitalism — a thorough exploration of how capitalism emerged, how it...
August 2023
What Is Globalization
Globalization delivered the fastest poverty reduction in history and generated the political backlash reshaping the world.
July 2022
What Is the Labor Theory of Value: Marx's Core Economic Idea
The labor theory of value is Marx's foundational economic concept. Understand its origins in Ricardo, Marx's development of it, the transformation...