Demonstration profile. James Whitfield covers legislatures, elections and public policy.
Land-use regulation rarely makes headlines, yet it sets the ceiling on housing supply. Understanding it explains why some cities grow up, some grow out and some barely grow at all.
Legislatures have finite time. Party leaders who control the schedule wield influence that rarely makes headlines.
The rules for turning votes into seats are among the most consequential decisions a democracy makes. They influence how many parties thrive, how governments form and how voters behave.
Arenas are often pitched as engines of local growth. Many economists remain sceptical, and the reasons say much about how cities should judge large projects.
Before a story is published, someone has to ask of every sentence: how do we know this? A look at a discipline readers rarely see.
When no party wins outright, the real contest begins after polling day. Coalition talks turn election results into governing programmes through bargaining over posts and policies.
Spending on preventing illness is widely praised and chronically underfunded. The reasons lie in who pays, who benefits and when.
Congestion is what happens when something valuable is given away free. Pricing it would make streets work better — if the proceeds are used well.
Behind every result is a vast logistical operation run largely by civil servants and volunteers. Its credibility rests on procedures designed so that anyone can check the work.
