Herbert Kitschelt and Silja Häusermann show that structural economic change – rather than parties abandoning traditional left-wing principles – is the root cause of the decline of social democracy. From the 1970s to the present, the political left in western democracies has irreversibly changed. In the 1970s, almost all countries had a single dominant party … Read more
Social engineering is advancing fast, at the speed of generative AI. This is offering bad actors multiple new tools and techniques for researching, scoping, and exploiting organizations. In a recent communication, the FBI pointed out: ‘As technology continues to evolve, so do cybercriminals’ tactics.’ This article explores some of the impacts of this GenAI-fueled acceleration. … Read more
When the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025, it came as a relief to many recipients of state or local government pensions whose Social Security benefits had been, up until now, reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) for individuals claiming retirement benefits under their own name, or the … Read more
Freedom of expression on social media must be protected, writes Robin Mansell. But we must also protect the rights of those exposed to content that fans hate speech and misinformation. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed on 7 January 2025 that less intervention into what people find on its social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) is the … Read more
For most people, Social Security benefits are calculated using a single formula, which takes into account the individual’s history of earning income on which they paid Social Security tax. But historically, a subset of workers that spent at least part of their careers in positions that did not pay Social Security tax – including many … Read more
