Robert C. Power (Widener): The Wire and Alternative Stories of Law and Inequality. Brishen Rogers (Temple): Justice at Work: Minimum Wage Laws and Social Equality. From n+1, how much are they paying you for this shit: Alice Hines on Walmart. From The Brooklyn Quarterly, Rob Goodman analyzes the victories and pitfalls of meritocracy in an era of widening inequality and decreased social mobility; and we need a democratic Great Awakening in America: An interview with Chris Hayes, author of Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy. Why can’t democracy trump inequality? Voters of modest means outnumber voters of excessive means in every election, yet public policy in America essentially comforts only the already comfortable — four political scientists have an explanation. Robert Reich on how the US no longer has public services available to all — those who can afford to now look for private alternatives, creating a vicious circle of diminishing revenues and deteriorating quality. From Slate, Mayor Bill de Blasio wouldn’t fix New York’s inequality and he probably shouldn’t try: A great mayor needs to focus on the banal day-to-day work of city services, not sweeping national policies; rich whiners complain Bill de Blasio is being mean to them; and bad decisions don’t make you poor, being poor makes for bad decisions: New research shows that worrying about money causes cognitive impairments. Jeff Madrick on America’s jobless generation. What's killing poor white women? Monica Potts on how, for most Americans, life expectancy continues to rise — but not for uneducated white women; they have lost five years, and no one knows why.
