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IDEAS | CRAIG FEHRMAN

All hail the campaign book

The campaign book has made a massive impact on American history. But books their “authors” may not have read — much less written — often simply provide an excuse for candidates to chatter on TV.
IDEAS | NICK KAUFMAN

‘Do you feel healthy?’ In China, an American navigates the coronavirus outbreak

IDEAS | MATTIA FERRARESI

Fiction’s reality fetish

Massachusetts Works
In this special section, we’re turning 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. By many measures, we lead the nation in social indicators that have a direct impact on how we live. We wanted to know: How did we get here, what can we learn from our successes, and what can we teach other states? But it’s not all perfect: We also examine areas where Massachusetts can improve.
Ideas | Michael Porter

What Massachusetts Can Teach America

The Commonwealth has been a pioneer and a leader in advancing crucial areas such as the quality of public education, health care coverage for all, same-sex marriage, and many others. How have residents and our political system in Massachusetts been able to achieve far more social progress in recent decades than most states, and America overall?
tell us what you think

What works in Massachusetts?

Ideas | Damian Garde

'If you want to develop a new medicine, Boston is the place'

Ideas | Margaret H. Marshall

How did gay marriage happen here first? Judicial independence

Ideas | pakinam amer

How Massachusetts became a national leader on health care — and how it can lead again

Democracy under siege

Democracy as we know it is under attack around the world. In our own country, threats once hard to imagine have taken root: Voter suppression and foreign interference; misinformation and “fake news;” extreme polarization and gerrymandering. Starting today, the Ideas section is embarking on an ongoing look at the state of democracy — exploring the ways it has failed to live up to its promise, the forces that endanger it, and ways to shore it up for the future.
Ideas | Caleb Gayle

Think the Constitution guarantees your right to vote? Think again

Ideas | David Scharfenberg

Republicans have been playing hardball for decades, will Democrats push back?

Democracy Under Siege: Citizens United

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Bernie Sanders says Citizens United has been ‘disastrous.’ Is he right?

OPINION | FLOYD ABRAMS

Pro: Citizens United was a triumph for free speech

OPINION | BURT NEUBORNE

Con: Citizens United gave the wealthy too much power

OPINION | CAROL ROSE

New Year’s resolution: Let’s exercise our body politic

IDEAS | PAYAL DHAR

Could a spoof government on Twitter be the platform of political change in India?

OPINION | RENÉE GRAHAM

John Roberts is no defender of democracy

Big Number

Big number: The importance of vaccines
The number of Americans who say it is extremely or very important that parents vaccinate their children has not changed since 2015, but has fallen since 2001.

Big Number: The year 2045
Demographers project that white people will become a minority in the United States in about 2045.

Big Number: The legacy of slavery
This year marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first slave ship to the United States and the legacy of slaver is still felt today.

Big Data: Glued to the 'Tube
Almost three quarters of adults in the United States say they use YouTube, and among those ages 18 to 24, that number leaps to 90 percent, according to a Pew Research Center study conducted earlier this year.

Cartoons

cartoon | Sage StosselA different kind of Presidents’ Day
Cartoonist Sage Stossel's take on the news.

EDITORIAL CARTOON | A.J.B. LANELove in the time of coronavirus
Cartoonist A.J.B. Lane's take on the news.

CARTOON | Beth Wolfensberger SingerLittle shop of impeachment souvenirs
Cartoonist Beth Wolfensberger Singer's take on the news.

CARTOON | SAGE STOSSELThe cage of royalty
Cartoonist Sage Stossel's take on the news.

CARTOON | A.J.B. LANEChoose your own Middle East misadventure
Cartoonist A.J.B. Lane's take on the news.

Cartoon | Beth Wolfensberger Singer‘Little Women’ and the Beth trap
Cartoonist Beth Wolfensberger Singer's take on the news.

50 Words

A Boston story in 50 words
Bad weather and good music converge on the Green Line.

A Boston story in 50 words
A recent college grad gets some career advice.

A Boston story in 50 words
What did he do to deserve that?

A Boston story in 50 words
Did she take the offer or not?

A Boston story in 50 words
We didn’t want to go to a shelter. They would have parted us.