Income inequality is the elephant in the room. No, scratch that, it’s the entire herd. The rich keep grazing on returns that grow faster than the economy itself, while the rest of us fight over scraps. The rules of society start bending in ways that nobody admits out loud. As Piketty has shown, capital accumulates faster than wages. It creates a feedback loop that is brutally efficient at concentrating wealth at the top. ...
Elijah never quite knew how to answer the question, “So, what do you do?” He could say AI liaison, but that sounded pompous and vaguely sinister. He could say digital compliance coordinator, but even his mother snorted at that one. In truth, he spent most of his days arguing with regulatory software about whether the hospital’s cancer diagnostics model violated EU data transparency directives or merely flirted with them. It was 2028, and Elijah worked at a hospital that could diagnose rare cancers with 99% accuracy. The machine, he refused to call it a colleague, could parse blood data, family history, and MRI scans in seconds. It was not always right, but it was close enough that human oversight had become more symbolic than necessary. ...
In certain corners of politics and punditry, a curious thesis has been gaining ground: that our societies are teetering on the brink because of an “oversupply of elite.” Too many graduates, too many experts, too many laptop-class professionals sipping ethically sourced coffee while redesigning the world from their glass towers. It’s a neat little idea. Trouble is, it’s also largely nonsense. This article unpacks the claim, considers its strongest arguments, and then gives it the send-off it deserves, ideally with a clipboard and a gentle push down the escalator of wishful thinking. ...
Neoliberalism crept into Europe wearing a sharp suit and talking about efficiency. It promised a leaner, meaner state, less red tape, more growth, and a brighter future. What it delivered was stagnant wages, crumbling services, and Jeff Bezos in a rocket. For Europe, the cost has been clear: growing inequality, weakened public institutions, and a sense that someone, somewhere, has sold the family silver, and is now renting it back to us with interest. ...