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LPE Blog

Why Not a Faculty Union?

Despite a recent surge in campus organizing, tenured faculty at private universities haven’t unionized. Why is this? The conventional answer is that the Supreme Court said they can’t. Fortunately, the conventional answer is wrong.

Gone Fishin’

Before the Blog goes on our annual August hiatus, we offer a final plug for the upcoming ALPE conference, count down the ten most read posts of 2025 so far, say a fond farewell to our departing editorial board members and student editors, and welcome two new additions to the team.

Weekly Roundup: Aug. 1

Hilary Allen on why we shouldn’t subsidize fintech, Amy Kapczynski on what it will take to make public pharma work, and Maryam Jamshidi on the economic considerations at the heart of recent U.S. Sanctions. Plus, two cool CfPs (including one conference near and dear to our heart), a fellowship down under, an event on the post-Dobbs landscape, and. . .

What Stands in the Way of Abundance in Healthcare?

Recent public initiatives to manufacture insulin highlight both the promise and pitfalls of the new politics of “abundance.” Although states are capable of producing high-quality, affordable medicines, these efforts inevitably face resistance from powerful private interests. Without recognizing this as a central obstacle and building the political will. . .

Why We Need to Stop Subsidizing Venture Capitalists

From lending to stock trading to crypto, leading fintech companies have gained an edge not through actual technological innovation, but by using tech-driven narratives to obscure how they profit from bending and breaking financial regulations. What makes this especially troubling is that the public is propping up these firms by subsidizing Silicon Valley’s. . .

How the Trump Administration is Constructing Jewishness

According to President Trump, Chuck Schumer is “not Jewish anymore.” Nor are Jewish Americans who vote for the Democratic Party. Nor are Jewish college students who oppose the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza. In making these claims, Trump and his administration are attempting to reshape the contours of Jewish identity, dividing “real Jews”. . .

Local Electricity and Bottom-up Energy Planning

To build an electric system that meets the needs and opportunities of the 21st century, we need proposals that strengthen public control and improve regulation of Investor-Owned Utilities. Yet on their own, such proposals ignore a fundamental issue: almost all federal, state, municipal, and coop utilities currently operate with the same centralized, top-down. . .

Weekly Roundup: July 11

Bijal Shah on how the Supreme Court enables Trump’s illegal immigrations actions, Fumika Mizuno on the consolidation of the dialysis market, and Morgan Harper on building the movement that Democrats won’t. Plus, cool new CFPs, jobs, books, and think pieces on your favorite mayoral candidate.

Beyond The Ballot: Building The Movement Democrats Won’t

The MAGA movement has preyed on the economic decay and social malaise plaguing America’s neighborhoods, offering a suite of real and imagined villains to drive Trump’s ascension. The left must get back to basics, rebuilding the trust lost by the Democratic Party through genuine community building and connection across difference.