From First Things, Edmund Phelps on economic justice and the spirit of innovation. The killing fields of inequality: Goran Therborn on why inequality matters. From Too Much, a profile of Emmanuel Saez, the Berkeley economist who many now consider the world’s top authority on the incomes of the super rich; watch out Wall Street, here come the Dutch; have we missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to trim the wealthy down to democratic size?; and the Great Depression gave us the minimum wage — might we now see a “maximum wage”, thanks to the Great Recession? Misleading Indicators: Charles Wilber on how U.S. economists missed the Great Recession. The uselessness of economic forecasters: Charles Morris looks at the terrible track record of economic oracles, and the reasons why very few of them get it right. Gilles Saint‑Paul offers a defence of contemporary economics against those demanding forecasts of crises and complaining about the profession’s mathematical intensity. Robert Shiller on reinventing economics. Economics is not so much the queen of the social sciences but the servant, and needs to base itself on anthropology, psychology — and the sociology of ideologies. Historical events, finding a dusty old book or debates at the dinner table: anything can inspire a Nobel Laureate — so what makes an economist tick? "A new science of governance for a new age": Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson, who study the way decisions are made outside the markets on which many other economists focus, are awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics (and more and more and more and more).

From Human Affairs, a special issue on Ernst Gombrich. Can a global climate pact save our behinds? An interview with prominent game theorist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Jose Maria J. Yulo on Love's Imperative: A Study on Kant and Kolbe. Mathematics has never been so exciting: More and more on Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H Papadimitriou. An interview with Peter Minowitz, author of Straussophobia: Defending Leo Strauss and Straussians Against Shadia Drury and Other Accusers. What's so bad about being part of H.L. Mencken's "boobocracy"?: The Great Books looked great to one 70s teenager. Credit where credit's due: Why civilian aid and military aid shouldn't mix. A review of The Least Worst Place: How Guantanamo Became the World’s Most Notorious Prison by Karen Greenberg. The bailout in under ten minutes: The Nation's Chris Hayes on the bailout's limited trajectory and what its limitations mean for the Obama administration. We've given trillions to the super rich, but there are many better uses for your money. Salon interviews the late Adam Smith: The 18th century's patron saint of free markets shares his surprising views about Barack Obama and the U.S. economy. Is there any way to tell if a polling firm's data are reliable? A recent imbroglio within the polling industry raised that question. Dr. Philip Nitschke has caused uproar from Australia to the UK over his unapologetic pro-suicide philosophy — and now he's bringing his cause to the States. People who reject the theory of evolution should be placed on a level with Holocaust deniers, argues Richard Dawkins (and an interview).

From ResetDOC, an article on Martha Nussbaum and the Indian laboratory. An interview with Arundhati Roy on the human costs of India's economic growth (and more). A review of Red Sun: Travel in Naxalite Country by Sudeep Chakravarti (and a response on India’s Maoists). You say Dilli, I say Delhi: Rebranding Indian cities, streets and landmarks with "authentic" Hindi names is parochial and chauvinistic. A review of Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple (and more and more on Maharaja, the splendour of India's royal courts). A review of The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger. The conversion to intolerance: How the Missionaries are destroying the ancient Hindu culture. From Hard News, thousands of Dalits still clean shit with their bare hands and carry it on their heads; so how come a 9 per cent growth rate economy can’t generate alternative professions for them? (and more on sacred shit); and a look at the best world class open-air male public urinal in the world. India's genes uncovered: Genetic exploration of the subcontinent has been slow to get going, but the latest findings offer some amazing insights. Winning literary prizes abroad is a habit with Indian writers; one we need to view with scepticism rather than naively accept as a sign of superior standards. Passage through India inspires literary tours: Twelve book club members read six books on the country — then travel there. Living in a region where you dress differently from everyone else, you begin to notice the little things; Jil Wheeler undergoes an education in Indian fashion.

Ken Jowitt (UC-Berkeley): Setting History’s Course: Nations, identities, and influence. A review of Hollow Hegemony: Rethinking Global Politics, Power and Resistance by David Chandler. States are not so much declining, failing and yielding as transforming their very nature. An interview with David Kinley, author of Civilising Globalisation. The imaginary pirate of globalization: The terrorist, the hacker and the financier are the new pirates, taking advantage of the spatial revolution brought about by globalization. A review of Spaces of Security and Insecurity: Geographies of the War on Terror. Michael Vlahos on American power and the fall of modernity: Nation-state, identity and governance. From The American Interest, pillars of the Next American Century: James Kurth trace the foundations of American global strength, from past to future. America's Limits: The financial meltdown put America in a different mental place — President Obama’s challenge lies in how to manage reduced expectations. America's Image: U.S. standing in the world matters, Americans care about it, and a weakened stature continues to hamper U.S. policy. Twilight of Pax Americana: With American military and economic dominance waning, capitalism and global security are threatened. A review of After America: Narratives for the Next Global Age by Paul Starobin. While you are minding your own business, the US is constantly making war around the globe. A review of War, Revenue, and State Building: Financing the Development of the American State by Sheldon Pollack. Conservatives are all for shrinking government spending, except when it comes to the Pentagon; why more skepticism about military funding is a matter of national security. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wants to overhaul the Pentagon.