By Derek Hyra, author of Slow and Sudden Violence: Why and When Uprisings OccurApril 29, 1992: I am in Harlem, preparing for my AAU basketball team practice in Riverside Church’s basement. As I am warming up, my coach suggests I leave immediately. He had heard unrest was likely to erupt on 125th Str...
by James Byard/WUSTL Photos
It’s comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard, climb ladders, and get what we deserve, but each of us has been profoundly touched by randomness. Chance is shown to play a crucial role in shaping outcomes across history, throughout th...
By Katherine Newman and Elisabeth Jacobs, co-authors of Moving the Needle: What Tight Labor Markets Do for the Poor
For nearly half a century, scholars and policymakers alike have pointed to the devasting impact of joblessness for individuals, families, and communities. William Julius ...
By Leslie Paik, author of Trapped in a Maze: How Social Control Institutions Drive Family Poverty and Inequality
The pandemic has exposed so clearly how families everywhere in this country struggle to manage the competing demands of work, childcare, education and health. With this awar...
Anirudh Krishna
Anirudh Krishna’s essay “The Poorest After the Pandemic” is featured in Current History’s November special issue on the pandemic’s global ramifications. Krishna is the Edgar T. Thompson Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University. His research in...