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.
Debt-Trap Diplomacy
How justified are recent claims that China has been buying significant quantities of debt to undermine the sovereignty of African nations?
How Government Helped Birth the Advertising Industry
Advertising went from being an embarrassing activity to a legitimate part of every company’s business plans—despite scant evidence that it worked.
K-cuisine in Malaysia: Are Locals Biting?
By neglecting local tastes and the culinary presence of Korean migrants, state-sponsored initiatives to globalize Korean food may fall short in Malaysia.
The ABCs of Lithium
Lithium is increasingly seen as a strategic resource, especially for batteries in dreams of a green future. But where does it come from, and at what cost?
A People’s Bank at the Post Office
The Postal Savings System offered depositors a US government-backed guarantee of security, but it was undone by for-profit private banks.
Who Can Just Stop Oil?
Groups such as Just Stop Oil are calling for change, but their aims need to be considered with respect to more than a reductionist slogan.
The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Policing
The increased use of machines and the division of labor allowed for the production of standardized products. It also made it easier to fence stolen goods.