Finally, it seems that we might have slogged our way through the worst of the economic crisis. But unemployment is still high, and things won’t be back to normal for a long time. The way our government responded to the crisis exposed more than a few inadequacies in the way progressives talk about the economy.

With this issue, we offer some new perspectives on arguing the economy in the second installment of our “First Principles” series. We’ve put together a distinguished line-up: Andrei Cherny, our co-founder and president; David Madland of the Center for American Progress; Elaine C. Kamarck of the Harvard Kennedy School; Paul Pierson of U.C.-Berkeley; and The New Republic’s Jonathan Chait. We think their essays tell a fresh story about what progressives should stand for and why the other side’s ideas are wrong for the country.

The issue also features the usual assortment of top-notch essays and reviews. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Levering Lewis on Mark Twain. Ethan Porter and David Kendall on a taxpayer receipt. Matthew Yglesias on reforming the Federal Reserve. Ezra Klein on inequality. And much more.