The growth of the "on-demand" services sector has spurred a vigorous debate on the changing nature of the U.S. economy and the implications for American workers. The “on-demand” economy refers to the growing number of businesses that connect service providers to customers through the assistance of information technology -- particularly “apps” accessible on smart phones.

As inequality has markedly risen over the past few decades, so has economic volatility. Abundant research demonstrates that both individuals and households have faced much greater instability in income since the 1970s – a trend dubbed by Jacob Hacker as the “Great Risk Shift.” Income insecurity can lead to problems and crises like bad credit...

The current safety net is outdated. It was designed for an economy with one type of job in mind – full-time, 9-to-5 employment – and with high barriers to employment, such as interviews and résumés. But the economy is changing, with new technologies that seamlessly connect willing and able labor to the demand for work.

In this article, Johanna Dunaway, Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard's Shorenstain Centre on Media, Politics and Public Policy, explains mobile’s limitations as a means of news consumption and its implications for an informed citizenry.

Introduction The rise of Asia’s two giants, China and India, is forcing Australia to re-examine its understanding of the regional order that has existed since the 1940s. There has been much debate about the choices that Australia faces with a rising China, but there has been less discussion about the strategic consequences of India’s emergence...