All of the attention given to raising the debt ceiling this past summer might lead some to believe that spending by the federal government only recently became unsustainable. Hardly. We've been on this path a long time.

Whenever the price at the pump climbs week after week, people start pointing fingers at investment banks, hedge funds and other speculators. This article quantifies the role that speculation played in the rise of oil prices during the past decade.

A program that pays poor, rural Mexican families to keep their children in school didn't translate well to New York City. The latter's version will end this summer.

Even if China does revalue its currency, jobs aren’t likely to come flooding back to the United States. Much of what China exports to the U.S. originates in other Asian countries.

Commodities of all sorts have risen in price over the past few years. Some say that the prices reflect a bubble, driven by low interest rates and excessive speculation. Others say the price gains can be fully explained by supply and demand.