Features

• Can Government Work?

  Paul Starr

  Many Americans are convinced that there are no public solutions to national problems. Or if there are, that Congress could not enact them in rational form, and that we cannot afford the cost. Overcoming that pervasive skepticism demands a new era of political reform and a discriminating commitment to public remedy.
• Should We Compromise on Abortion?

  Walter Dellinger

  Many commentators are saying that "extremists on both sides" in the abortion debate need to compromise. But a close analysis of current proposals shows that even "moderate" restrictions impose real harm on many women.
• The Grand Inquisitor

  Bruce Ackerman

  Robert Bork bids us to be faithful to the Founders and reject heretics who read theory into the law. But, like the Grand Inquisitor, he inwardly betrays his cause.
• Generational Alliance: Social Security as a Bank for Education and Training

  Barry Bluestone, Alan Clayton-Matthews, John Havens, Howard Young

  The solvency of Social Security ultimately depends on economic prosperity, and economic prosperity on productivity and education. College costs, however, are becoming prohibitive, and technical training is weak. Investing part of the Social Security surpluses in a better trained workforce could strengthen economic growth, equitable access to education, and links between the generations.
• An Uneasy Marriage in the House of Labor

  Kim Fellner

  Activists in the labor movement often find themselves at odds with the labor bureaucracy. Can business unionists learn to love labor organizers?
• The Poverty of Neoliberalism

  Robert Kuttner
• Up From the Bedside: A Co-op for Home Care Workers

  Jonathan Rowe

  Rick Surpin wanted to create jobs for the poor by creating enterprises for them. In the process, he created a better model of home health care, too.
• The Great S&L Clearance

  William Greider
• Who Will Represent Labor Now?

  Paul Weiler

  As labor unions see their role diminish, others attempt to take their place as the employees' representatives. Will it be lawyers, government regulators, or "human resource managers" in the executive suites? Or will the employees gain some direct representation in the workplace?
• Citizen Organizing: Many Movements, No Majority

  Karen Paget

  Citizen politics aims to spur a democratic resurgence at the grassroots. But as other forms of democratic participation decline, can citizen organizing make a difference?
• East Asia's Challenge

  Alice Amsden

  The conventional wisdom these days is that government intervention impedes development. Why, then, have Korea and Taiwan grown so fast?
• Sustainable Social Policy: Fighting Poverty Without Poverty Programs

  Theda Skocpol

  The history of social policy has a clear lesson. Programs that benefit all citizens do more to reduce poverty than programs targeted to the poor. So a new strategy for gamily security makes more sense than another War on Poverty.
• The Renewal of the Public Sector

  Steven Kelman

  The preoccupation with scandal has only aggravated the bureaucratic character of public services. A new "paradigm" for public service needs to emphasize quality of service, flexibility, and receptiveness to innovation--not just probity.