The Shrewd Business Logic of Immigrant Cooks
Savvy observers, immigrant restaurateurs operate as amateur anthropologists who analyze their potential customers to determine how to best attract them.
Economics in Ancient Greece
The modern term “economics” comes from the Greek word “oikonomia,” but the ancient Greeks had a very different way of thinking about material life.
Demystifying Sovereign Wealth Funds
Opaque, state-controlled investment vehicles, sovereign wealth funds wield enough power to redirect or disrupt global economies.
The Numbers vs. the Lottery
Between the 1960s and 1980s, state governments created lotteries to supplant illegal gambling operations that brought revenue to marginalized communities.
The Georgia Peach: A Labor History
The peach industry represented a new, scientifically driven economy for Georgia, but it also depended on the rhythms and racial stereotypes of cotton farming.
Modern Piracy: Arbitration as Plunder
In a world of globalized trade, an industry of piratical lawyers has arisen to help transnational corporations seize the assets of supposedly sovereign states.
Islands in the Cash Stream
Tiny island states, usually former British colonies, have been re-colonized by global finance and now depend on “archipelago capitalism” for survival.
Why Call for Divestment?
Students are calling for their universities to divest from companies involved in the manufacturing of arms used in Gaza. How effective is this strategy?
Who Took the Cocaine Out of Coca-Cola?
The medical profession saw nothing wrong with offering a cocaine-laced cola to white, middle-class consumers. Selling it to Black Americans was another matter.