Winter 2016, No. 39
We are proud to present “16 for ’16,” the centerpiece package from our Winter 2016 issue. The coming year is sure to be a momentous one (not least because it’ll be Democracy’s tenth year!), and we thought there would be no better way to kick off 2016 than with this symposium.
The 16 ideas we present here aim to tackle a range of real-world problems, from mass incarceration to our disorganized security bureaucracy to the looming budget crisis for veterans’ care to climate change. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Austan Goolsbee & Newton Minow, Linda J. Bilmes, Aneesh Chopra, and Juliette Kayyem are just some of the writers we feature in our stellar lineup.
But there’s more: Theda Skocpol and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez take a look why it is that the right has been so successful in dominating statehouses. Joshua Kurlantzick assesses the Obama Administration’s Asia pivot—and finds much to criticize. Bob Kocher & Pat Basu introduce us to the world of telemedicine and explain what policies we need to make it work for everyone.
In the books section, Jedediah Purdy reflects on the libertarian critique of eminent domain; James Ledbetter reviews a new book on FDR, Keynes, and the makings of modern monetary policy; Helaine Olen shines a light on the problems of the unbanked; and Ryan Grim tackles the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Finally, David Madland responds to Bruce Bartlett’s review of his book on the middle class.
Back Issues Archive
Symposium
16 for ’16
With electoral thoughts dancing in our heads, we asked contributors to give us one idea—targeted, straightforward—for the next administration to pursue.
Austan Goolsbee & Newton Minow on a new Morrill Act • Anne-Marie Slaughter on reforming our national security bureaucracy • Juliette Kayyem on rethinking disaster relief • Marc Mauer on a 20-year maximum for prison sentences • and much more
By The Editors 2 MIN READ
A New Morrill Act
By Austan Goolsbee Newton Minow5 MIN READ
A Lead Agency for Every Security Initiative
By Anne-Marie Slaughter4 MIN READ
A Trust Fund for Veterans
By Linda J. Bilmes5 MIN READ
Savings in Exchange for National Service
By Alan Khazei5 MIN READ
Transparency in Tuitions
By Neera Tanden Ben Miller5 MIN READ
Smarter Disaster Management
By Juliette Kayyem5 MIN READ
A 20-Year Maximum for Prison Sentences
By Marc Mauer6 MIN READ
Less Work, More Leisure
By Dean Baker4 MIN READ
A Global Low-Carbon Challenge
By Carlos Pascual Jason Bordoff4 MIN READ
A Better Way to Fly
By Dr. Bruce J. Holmes5 MIN READ
More At-Large Districts
By Anne Kim4 MIN READ
Revive Congressional Authority over Courts
By Aziz Huq5 MIN READ
Tax Short-Termism, Fund Long-Termism
By Heather McGhee Wallace Turbeville4 MIN READ
End Delaware’s Corporate Dominance
By Kent Greenfield4 MIN READ
Solve Unemployment with Open Data
By Aneesh Chopra5 MIN READ
Protect Intelligence Whistleblowers
By Mieke Eoyang4 MIN READ
Features
Pivotal Moment
The Obama Administration’s “pivot” to Asia was supposed to be a transformative shift. Why has it led to such underwhelming results?
By Joshua Kurlantzick27 MIN READ
HIPAA 2.0: Doctors in the Digital Age
Digital innovation can revolutionize health care—but we need the policies that will allow it to do so. The latest in our series "Our Digital Future."
By Bob Kocher, MD Pat Basu, MD18 MIN READ
How the Right Trounced Liberals in the States
Conservatives have mastered the art of cross-state policy advocacy, while liberal efforts have fizzled. Here's what has to change.
By Theda Skocpol Alexander Hertel-Fernandez28 MIN READ
Book Reviews
Open for Business
You think the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a business group? It used to be. But today it’s just a tawdry hired gun.
By Ryan Grim16 MIN READ
Money Men
How Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Maynard Keynes ushered in modern monetary policy.
By James Ledbetter14 MIN READ
This Land Is Our Land
The eminent-domain issue cuts across ideological lines. Even as progressives wrestle with it, libertarians have offered a less than convincing critique.
By Jedediah Purdy15 MIN READ
Debit Scarred
The poor face myriad obstacles in handling their limited finances. Can reviving the postal bank be the solution?
By Helaine Olen10 MIN READ
Responses
How to Rebuild the Middle Class
Bruce Bartlett argues that redistribution is the key to fighting inequality. It’s part of the solution—but only a part. A response to Bartlett.
By David Madland10 MIN READ
Recounting
A Health Policy with Teeth
When we talk about health care, we almost never talk about teeth. But the state of your dental health can be a life-defining issue.
By Jack Meserve