Obama & Tax America will rise again says President-elect Barack Obama. But how will the 44th President of the United States fund his election promises? And what effect might his proposed redistribution of wealth through taxation have? The Winner's Curse Could the publication pratices of scientific journals be distoring the scientific endeavour? Regulating carbon emissions ANU economist Warwick McKibbin warns that cap and trade carbon emissions schemes are likely to fail when unexpected financial shocks occur and markets become volatile. He outlines the McKibbin- Wilcoxen hybrid model that he says will reduce economic uncertainty, achieve carbon reduction targets and have a better chance of long term success. Do humans have a future? Do we live in the End of Days? Will extreme weather, droughts, famines and floods overtake humanity within the century, or sooner? Some belive that our world is doomed but Michael Hanlon´s view is that, whatever happens, humankind will go on. LESS

Terrorism Are terrorists motivated by political ends or could it be for social reasons? Some argue that terrorists are drawn to their secretive world in search of a sense of community. This proposition has serious implications for the ways the West approaches the war on terror. Economic gangsters Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel spent years investigating the dark side of global economic development. They combined economic analysis with detective work and followed the foreign aid money trail into the hands of corrupt governments and shady underworld cheats. They labelled these characters economic gangsters. So who are they and why do they matter? Patrick Cook Patrick Cook takes a look at politics in Australia and the USA. Charles Moore Charles Moore surveys the British political landscape and provides an insight into Conservative Party leader David Cameron who, according to recent polls, has a very good chance of becoming the next British prime minister. LESS

George W Bush reconsidered In the week that America chooses a new president, David Frum scrutinises the accepted wisdom about the policies of the outgoing president. Future of Capitalism - John Stone There are always unintended consequences flowing from government intervention in the market. So how should governments act prudently? And does an international financial system crisis require an international body to oversee possible solutions? War of the Worlds Orson Welles´s adaptation of HG Wells´s War of the Worlds was first broadcast seventy years ago. The accepted wisdom is that it caused widespread panic. Michael J Socolow examines the media myth and discusses some of the conveniently ignored statistics and hard facts about this famous broadcast. The little black school book A new study guide says forget a carefully crafted argument that takes an unorthodox viewpoint; if you want good marks then pander to the biases of your teacher. LESS

Off-shoring The idea that US companies are sending lots of jobs off-shore has been a political issue in America for many years. But is there any basis for this fear? Future of Capitalism part 2 : Mike Moore For more than twenty years ideas about free markets and trade liberalisation have been increasingly accepted around the globe. It seemed they´d succeeded in making the world a better place for hundreds of millions of people. So, what does the current crisis mean for those ideas ? Housing, banking and the free market Oliver Hartwich compares the European and Australian approaches to housing, banking and government regulation. LESS