From The Wilson Quarterly, an article on the ascent of the administrative state and the demise of mercy; and why can’t we build an affordable house? Smaller houses on smaller lots seems like one possible solution to the housing crisis; here’s what stands in the way. George Dyson on economic dis-equilibrium: Can you have your house and spend it too? From PUP, the introduction to Reforms at Risk: What Happens After Major Policy Changes Are Enacted by Eric M. Patashnik; and the introduction to On the Side of the Angels: An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship by Nancy L. Rosenblum. A review of The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush by Elvin T. Lim. Timothy Garton Ash on a final report on the 43rd president of the US. The City Manager’s Son and the $2 Trillion Man: George W. Bush is likely to go into history as the $2 trillion man — $1 trillion for the war in Iraq, another $1 trillion for the sub-prime bailout. An interview with Joseph Stiglitz. From Harper's, Thomas Frank on the wrecking crew: How a gang of right-wing con men destroyed Washington and made a killing. Lawrence Summers on how taxpayers can still benefit from a bail-out. An interview with Raghuram G. Rajan, former chief economist at the IMF, on the bailout. Jeffrey Garten on how a global authority can fill financial vacuum.
