Deep political divides have incited social conflict for as long as democracies have existed. In a manifesto for our time the French economists Julia Cagé and Thomas Piketty remind us that tackling inequality and culture wars often depends on factors that are beyond any government’s control.
considers what historical attempts at redistribution in France can tell us about the current political moment.
Already under US sanctions for his role in securing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is now at risk of being removed altogether. If member states do not stand up for judicial independence now, they may never get another chance.
sees a cynical US-led political operation behind efforts to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
In this issue of PS Quarterly—available exclusively to Premium subscribers—Danielle Allen, Sarah M.S. Pearsall, Steve Pincus, and other leading thinkers examine the impact, limitations, and legacy of America’s founding document, and consider where US democracy is headed 250 years later.
Subscribe to PS Premium to secure the Declaration of Independence magazine
Jul 17, 2026 Adekeye Adebajo uses the country’s anniversary to reflect on its embedded racism and legacy of imperialism.
Jul 17, 2026 Koffi Alle thinks the Nigerian refinery owner Aliko Dangote's approach charts a path for others to follow.
Jul 17, 2026 Kai Guo rejects the argument, repeated in a recent OECD report, that world-leading industries grew from state support.
Jul 17, 2026 Carl Bildt expects the Russian president to continue his self-destructive war and potentially lose Crimea in the process.
Jul 17, 2026 Josep Borrell sees a cynical US-led political operation behind efforts to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
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In a recently translated historical analysis of French political conflicts over the past two and a half centuries, Julia Cagé and Thomas Piketty have set out to provide a manifesto for our time. But in doing so, they also remind us that the politics of the possible necessarily depends on factors that are beyond any government’s control.
considers what historical attempts at redistribution in France can tell us about the current political moment.
A handful of tech oligarchs have figured out how to tap public markets without submitting to shareholder oversight. The recent SpaceX IPO represents the culmination of this process, granting Elon Musk near-total authority and revealing how thoroughly the mechanisms meant to hold corporate leaders accountable have been weakened.
explains how a new generation of corporate founders has overthrown shareholder democracy in the United States.
Thomas Jefferson’s immortal words in the Declaration of Independence inaugurated an “experiment” in self-government that continues to this day. Although the results have never been perfect, few other documents have had as profound and as enduring an influence on the modern world.
