A Letter From Santiago, Where Chileans Are Seeking a New Constitution

Hopes Are High for Transforming the Country’s Democracy, but the Risks May Be Even Higher

Chile is raising hopes and winning praise worldwide as it elects delegates to a new convention with the goal of replacing the current constitution, a 1980 product of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. But from here in Santiago, where I live and work as a political scientist, the path to a new, and more democratic governing document looks full of dangers, some of them posed by democracy itself.

The high expectations surrounding Chile, population 19 million, now reflect just how distinct its history and present are. It was the first country in the …

by David Altman | April 5, 2021

A Letter From Paris, Where the New Normal Is Less Grouchy Than You’d Expect

Through Three Lockdowns, Parisians Have Read, Biked, and Even Behaved Like Tourists in Their Own Town

by Olivia Snaije | March 31, 2021

What is the new normal here in Paris? The answer is one that’s less grouchy than you might expect. Mais ça commence à bien faire—it’s getting a little much.

We’re more …

Los Angeles Is Failing California

The County’s Pandemic Failures Point to L.A.’s Long-Term Problems, and the Statewide—And National—Urgency of Fixing Them

by Joe Mathews | March 30, 2021

California has a huge problem that it can’t remove with a recall election.

The problem’s name is Los Angeles.

We Californians love to blame our woes on San Francisco, an easy target …

A Letter From Mexico City, Where We’re Still Supposed to Be on Lockdown

The Pandemic Might Peter Out Before It’s Taken More Seriously

by Greta Ríos | March 18, 2021

What will happen first—the end of the pandemic, or the beginning of Mexico City taking the pandemic seriously?

COVID-19 hit our side of the world relatively late. That meant that Mexico …

How Two California Lakeside Communities Are Ending Chronic Homelessness—at Jet-Ski Speed

In the Pandemic, South Lake Tahoe and Lake Elsinore Are Showing Other Cities Ways to Support All Their Unhoused Neighbors

by Joe Mathews | March 9, 2021

Have you given up hope that California will ever get its 150,000-person homeless population off the streets? Are you dubious that your hometown could ever reduce its homelessness to zero? …

Can Restaurants Become Drivers of Opportunity—Not Inequality?

To Prosper in a New Era, Eateries Will Have to Reckon With Issues Left to Simmer on the Back Burner

by Eli Revelle Yano Wilson | March 8, 2021

Thousands of restaurants have closed for good across America since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic last March. Many others remain temporarily shuttered; the remainder limp by with sales a fraction …

Covid-19

A Letter From Santiago, Where Chileans Are Seeking a New Constitution

Hopes Are High for Transforming the Country’s Democracy, but the Risks May Be Even Higher

A Letter From Paris, Where the New Normal Is Less Grouchy Than You’d Expect

Through Three Lockdowns, Parisians Have Read, Biked, and Even Behaved Like Tourists in Their Own Town

Los Angeles Is Failing California

The County’s Pandemic Failures Point to L.A.’s Long-Term Problems, and the Statewide—And National—Urgency of Fixing Them

A Letter From Mexico City, Where We’re Still Supposed to Be on Lockdown

The Pandemic Might Peter Out Before It’s Taken More Seriously

How Two California Lakeside Communities Are Ending Chronic Homelessness—at Jet-Ski Speed

In the Pandemic, South Lake Tahoe and Lake Elsinore Are Showing Other Cities Ways to Support All Their Unhoused Neighbors

Can Restaurants Become Drivers of Opportunity—Not Inequality?

To Prosper in a New Era, Eateries Will Have to Reckon With Issues Left to Simmer on the Back Burner

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Can Democracy Be an Agent of Both Power and Goodness?

To Promote True Civic Virtue, Our System of Government Needs an Ethical Compass and to Actively Engage Citizens

Are California Elections a Triumph of Democracy—or a Defeat?

The Golden State Keeps Making It Easier to Vote, and Harder to Understand What to Vote For

Could The Politician‘s #Calexit Fantasy Bring Real Change?

The Golden State Should Write a Fairer, More Equal American Constitution for the 21st Century

When 82 Percent Voter Turnout Isn’t Good Enough

Election Participation in My Swedish City Could Crush Any Town in America. But We Decided There Was More to Be Done.

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