Ideas - The Boston Globe

Social Studies: A side effect of identity politics; every office needs someone like Michael Scott; time to meet some new kids

Surprising insights from the social sciences.

We can do better for American Indian children

The case against the Indian Child Welfare Act, which requires that children be kept within their communities of origin.

Dissent is hobbling China’s ability to influence the rest of the world

Even though protests are unlikely to topple the Chinese government, they could disrupt its efforts to wield power in other countries.

IDEAS | ELIZABETH SVOBODA

AI can detect signs of depression. Should we let it?

New apps promise to detect when you’re feeling blue and offer some assistance. But they still have to prove that the benefits of sharing sensitive data outweigh any drawbacks.

A FedEx package handler arranged items before loading a delivery truck at a FedEx sorting facility in Kansas City, Mo.

IDEAS | CELINE BOYLE

Santa’s other helpers: your peak-season package handlers

We’re definitely less “ho-ho-ho!” and more “son of a nutcracker!” — but we make your holiday magic happen.

IDEAS | VERONIQUE GREENWOOD

The pros and cons of a meat tax

Could the burger on your plate someday bear a price tag for its environmental costs?

may i have a word?

May I have a word: Shirking work by doing any other worthwhile thing
Shworking it. Not working it.

May I have a word: Not euphemistically speaking

May I have a word: Postprandial nibbles

Conversations with the experts writing thought provoking Globe Opinion op-eds and Ideas features.

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IDEAS | JOAN VENNOCHI

How the MBTA went off the rails

Nearly everything about Boston has changed in the past few decades, yet the T has the same big problem — a failure to prioritize the rider experience above all.

Born broken: The deep history of the TWhat is the T for, anyway?

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Boston was once a wildly ambitious city. It’s time to go big again.

Soaring housing costs, a broken T, and other existential problems require sweeping fixes that meet the moment.

Explore visionary plans for housing, education, climate, and transit →Bold visions from urban planners, policy experts, and readers →

Editing the Constitution
The Constitution is undergoing massive changes in the Supreme Court. It’s time to put the founding document in the hands of the people.

The Future of Work
The pandemic is still shattering expectations of what workdays look like. In this special issue of Ideas, we explore which of these changes will stick — and how they’ll affect the quality of our lives.

The Future of Food
What we eat, where it comes from, and how we get it are being reimagined like never before.

Massachusetts Works
We turn the typical model of journalism on its head — instead of focusing on what’s broken, we’re taking a look at what Massachusetts gets right.

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