July 2013 Edition

Game Theory Is Useful, Except When It Is Not

Ariel D. Procaccia

Game Theory Is Useful, Except When It Is Not
Nobel prize laureate John Forbes Nash, mathemetician and game theorist, in May, 2005. (China Photos/Getty Images)
The study of strategic interactions is gaining popularity across disciplines, but that does not mean its relevance is universal.
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About The Author:

Ariel D. Procaccia is assistant professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He writes frequently for the blog Turing’s Invisible Hand.

Why Write the History of Capitalism?

Louis Hyman

Why Write the History of Capitalism?
Where is agency when you need it? A bank run in Massachusetts, October 1929. (OFF/AFP/Getty Images)
A new generation of scholars is rewriting the story of capitalism by shaking off the old assumptions of both the Left and Right.
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About The Author:

Louis Hyman is assistant professor of History at the ILR School, Cornell University. You can follow him on Twitter at @louishyman.

The War on Social Science

Rick K. Wilson

The War on Social Science
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is among those questioning the mission of the NSF. (Bill Clark/Roll Call via Getty Images)
Congress is heading into dangerous territory as it decides what basic scientific research should be.
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About The Author:

Rick K. Wilson is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Political Science at Rice University and editor of The American Journal of Political Science.

The Rebirth of Viewing Pleasure

Jill Dolan

The Rebirth of Viewing Pleasure
Here's gazing at you, kid: The cast of "Girls" in New York City, May 12, 2012. (Aby Baker/Getty Images)
By taking a fresh look at popular culture, students are breathing new life into feminist theories of a generation ago.
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About The Author:

Jill Dolan is the Annan Professor in English, Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts, and Director of the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton University. Her blog, The Feminist Spectator, won the 2011 George Jean Nathan Award for dramatic criticism.

Sorry, Wrong Number

Andrew Gelman

Sorry, Wrong Number
For some pundits, statistics can be an inconvenient truth. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)
How do bad numbers get into circulation in our political discourse, and how do they stay there, even after being refuted?
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Andrew Gelman is professor of statistics and political science and director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University. You can follow him on his blog as well as on The Monkey Cage.

Gospel’s Many Ancestors

Chuck McCutcheon

A Yale professor documents the ancient origins of religious singing — and causes a debate over the roots of gospel.
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About The Author:

Chuck McCutcheon is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C., an instructor of journalism at American University, and the author of books on politics, climate change and radioactive waste disposal. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and other publications.