Scandinavia Isn’t the Model; Ireland is

If there’s anything Americans haven’t stopped talking about for years, it’s the economy. Two presidents, changes to the tax code, and even stimulus checks have done little to ease a growing sense of economic dread. A growing economic literature backs this up; for many ordinary people, the American Dream is no longer even within reach. […]

Dismantling U.S. Economic Dominance, BRIC by BRIC

The greatest threat to the U.S. dollar isn’t a rival currency–it’s a financial system that doesn’t need one.  And that’s exactly what the BRICS alliance–originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–is trying to build. What started as a loose economic partnership has evolved into a strategic alliance bent on dismantling U.S. economic dominance. But […]

Carbon Taxation: The Key to Decarbonization

Climate Change: The State of Emissions and the Trump Administration  Climate change is a ticking time bomb sitting under humanity’s feet. Environmental scientists predict that within years billions could die from famine, heatwaves, floods, and resource wars.  Current climate modeling cannot remotely capture the true effects of warming, as every aspect of human existence depends […]

A Post-Mortem of the Youth Vote in 2024

This article is a follow-up to an earlier Berkeley Political Review article entitled “Blue Generation: Gen Z and the Democratic Party.” In the 2024 presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris underperformed President Joe Biden’s vote share in 2020 nationally by three percentage points. Harris’ underperformance is more striking when looking at individual states, even states […]

Can Crypto Crack the Dollar?

The U.S. dollar has long been a pillar of stability in the international order. Is that about to change?  The Bretton Woods Agreements in 1944 established the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. It was selected for the strength of the U.S. economy, its reliability, and the American ability to protect foreign owners of U.S. […]

The A’s Leave Oakland Ending an Important Era

Robert Baker tells Oakland voices, “When I think about Oakland, I think about community pride and activism. I see people who really care and are protective of Oakland and its culture and reputation.”  There was a period of Oakland’s history where this valuable culture could be observed in the Raiders jerseys, Warriors hats, and Oakland […]

Argentina at a Crossroads

On October 22nd, voters flocked to the polls to elect the new president of Argentina, amongst intense political and economic strife. All three candidates offered different solutions to the same problem: how to fix the economy. By the end of the day, it became clear that the top two contenders, Sergio Massa and Javier Milei, […]

Why China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East Matters

Trailing behind the exit of the United States, China has taken an interest in the Middle East, brokering diplomatic deals between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This is a surprising role for China to take on, as the country has, in the past, shown relatively little interest in that region of the world. The spike in […]