Original Reporting

A "Robin Hood" tax — a small fee on stock, bond, and derivative transactions that has been supported by some high-profile, center-right EU political leaders — is likely to be enacted soon by several EU countries, including Germany and France. Here in the U.S., an activist coalition that favors a financial transaction tax to help generate the revenue needed to protect and expand government programs — and to deter what it considers the destabilizing and unproductive role "high-frequency trading" — is just gearing up. Thus far, despite the introduction of several FTT bills, a majority of national Democrats have stayed silent on the issue. More

Most people are aware of the billions of dollars a year that private insurance companies spend on administrative costs. But the health insurance system in the United States also imposes a large burden in time and resources on physicians, hospitals, and employers. Researchers have estimated the total administrative cost associated with billing and insurance across the economy at more than $400 billion a year, or 15 percent of health care spending. Despite calls by some policy makers and advocates to reduce the administrative burden, several researchers said that many of the costs are inherent in a for-profit, multi-payer insurance system, and cannot be significantly reduced without fundamental structural change. More

Though engaging marketing has shifted consumer preferences on a range of products, people tend to think that preferences for traditional suburban neighborhoods are set in stone. Advertisers say they’re wrong. More