Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World
A federal value-added tax (VAT) is today’s magic bullet for slaying the federal budget deficit. A federal VAT would be a veritable cash cow, obviating the need for painful measures like serious spending reductions and middle class income tax hikes. A VAT would be more regressive and complex than its proponents acknowledge. Like most putative panaceas, a VAT should be rejected.
A tidal wave of high drug prices has recently crashed across the U.S. economy. One of the primary culprits: agreements by which brand-name drug manufacturers pay generic firms to stay off the market. This issue has been raging in the halls of Congress, the courts, and the government agencies.
Why have the Doha negotiations been so painfully slow and unsuccessful so far? A review of recent commentary and analysis seems to indicate that the difficulty has many roots, as shown by the following list of contributing factors:
Elvin Lim looks at the vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Edward Zelinsky looks at the bi-partisan rhetoric on health care and what the changes really mean.
Christopher D. Stone argues that in order to make a case for the environment, nature must be bestowed legal rights.
How does Alice in Wonderland mirror our own political world?
Saul Cornell looks at the 2nd amendment.
David P. Forsythe looks critically at the U.S.
Edward Zelinsky’s monthly column.
What is the psychology behind judicial decisions?
A look at torture in America.
A look at what happened to former Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee and his deputy John Yoo.
Edward Zelinsky looks at health care cost control.
An excerpt from Drugs: A Very Short Introduction by Prof. Les Iversen, the new chairman of the UK’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Elvin Lim looks at compromises.