The Fifth Category
Vol.
No.
20
7
August 2009

Columns
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States of Distress
A second stimulus could help states avoid layoffs, program cuts, and tax hikes. -
Left Without Labor
A party of professionals and young voters risks becoming a party that overlooks the core economic crisis facing American workers. -
The Limits of Likeability
The president remains popular even as many of his supporters become uneasy about what he's actually doing.
Culture
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In Wal-Mart's Image
The "values" of the largest private-sector employer in the U.S. are shaping our national economy -- and that's a very bad thing. -
Chicken Little Goes to Europe
Western Europe is being transformed by immigrants from the Islamic world. But they are not the enemy within. -
The Life and Death of Online Communities
How online communities are born -- and what happens when they die.
Departments
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Nativism Versus Security
When police become immigration enforcers, everybody loses. -
Noted
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Insurance Fraud
In the health-care reform debate, the insurance lobby is a wolf in sheep's clothing. -
Countercyclical Capital
Is D.C. the only place in America not affected by the downturn? -
Going to Extremes
There is much to fear in the right's comfort with radicalism, but little to envy. -
Up Front
Insurance companies are doing A-OK; Back-to-school CliffsNews; The Search for credible Republicans; and The Question.
Special Report
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The Poverty of Political Talk
It's still hard for politicians to speak clearly about the poorest Americans. -
A Modern Safety Net
We need to update our social contract for the real lives of working families in a brutal economy. -
Don't Forget the Men
Why has helping the single, childless workers become the darling of poverty policy? -
Recovering Opportunity
Racial barriers continue to hold back millions of Americans -- and our economy. -
Behavioral Theory
Can Mayor Bloomberg pay people to do the right thing? -
Mis-Measuring Poverty
In recent years, there has been a growing effort to revamp our poverty definition. -
A National Mission
Britain's national goal of reducing child poverty was a political success. Did it work? -
Putting Poverty in Its Place
Neighborhood-based approaches can succeed, if they're part of a broader urban strategy. -
Can Separate Be Equal?
The classroom is where poor and middle-class kids should meet -- to the benefit of both. -
Race, Wealth, and Intergenerational Poverty
There will never be a post-racial America if the wealth gap persists. -
A New Agenda for Tough Times
After a decade of economic change and fresh thinking, it's time for a new national effort to fight poverty.
Features
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Suburban Ghetto
Segregation, not immigration, is to blame for the growth of Hispanic gangs. -
Aborting Health Reform
Without reproductive-health coverage, any public insurance plan is doomed to fail. -
Present at the Re-Creation
These seven liberal financial experts are our best hope for truly fixing the economy. -
The Truth About Tuition
The conversation about college costs shouldn't end at student loans. -
There Goes the Neighborhood
Housing speculators are back, and they're hindering efforts at block-by-block revitalization. -
Overdue Process
When it comes to terrorist suspects in detention, Obama is finding that Bush set a difficult precedent to break. -
Suburban Ghetto
Segregation, not immigration, is to blame for the growth of Hispanic gangs.