The Wisconsin Idea

Viewpoint

If You Can Borrow a Book, Then Why Not a Chainsaw? The Rise of Tool Lending Libraries

Spawned in the wake of World War II, tool libraries lend implements and provide practical guidance to community members who can’t afford to own or store their own tools.

Aric Sleeper

Solidarity Is Our Power: Our 10 Biggest Stories of 2022

Restorative practices, abortion rights, and a fearless labor movement: We look back at a year of resistance.

In These Times Editors

Labor

Our Biggest Labor Stories of 2022

Sluggish institutions, corporate mergers, billionaires behaving badly: It’s been a watershed year for the labor beat.

In These Times Editors

Departments

The Necessary Refuge of Third Places

Our public meeting spaces have been disappearing. It’s time to reclaim them.

In These Times Editors

Culture

What Does Collectivist Art Look Like?

In 2022, collectives from the Global South took over the world’s most prestigious art show, and the backlash was swift.

Panthea Lee

Viewpoint

Military Budget Hike for 2023 is 3,200 Times the NLRB Increase

If a budget reveals what we value, this one should give us pause: extravagant spending for the war machine, scraps for workers.

Amy Livingston and Sarah Lazare

Rural America

Oversight Has Led to Better Housing for Migrant Farmworkers. Why Aren't Some States Doing It?

With no national regulation, employers often provide subpar housing to the migrant farmworkers who sustain the billion-dollar food industry.

Johnathan Hettinger and Sky Chadde

Departments

Elites Are Clueless, and so on

Kurt Vonnegut's words live on.

In These Times Editors

Feature

How Private Equity Gave Rise to a New Power Elite

The dominance of predatory financial firms has allowed a class of super-rich investors to exert vast control over our economic and political lives.

Heather Gautney