Category: issues

“The question … is far more complicated that it first appears. (What does ‘best’ mean? What does ‘the arts’ mean?)” There isn’t all that much evidence to look at, but Chris Jones surveys what’s there. – Chicago Tribune

That a company engaged in conservative or liberal political activity did not affect Republicans’ opinions of that company, but it did for Democrats. (As previously reported, Democrats didn’t care one way or another if a Jones Corp engaged in liberal activities.) That means the 33% drop in opinion when Jones Corps engaged in a conservative agenda was entirely driven by participants who identified as Democrats. – Harvard Business Review

Since 2010, urban inner rings, including central business districts, accounted for barely 10 percent of population growth in the nation’s 53 largest metropolitan areas. More revealing still, the country’s three largest metropolitan areas — New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—are now losing population. Since 2012, suburbs and exurbs, which have seven times as many people as the core, are again growing faster. Suburbs are also seeing a strong net movement among educated people, those earning over $75,000 and especially those between the ages of 30 and 44. – The Daily Beast

“Arts organisations and museums in England are being warned they will lose public funding unless they meet ‘stretching’ targets to create and attract more diverse workforces and audiences. … ACE has been publishing diversity data for five years but has often been accused of merely talking instead of taking strong action. The language this year is significantly more robust.” – The Guardian

The arts advocacy group says these are the trends that will inform its work over the next few years. – Americans for the Arts

The organization has about half the members it did in the 1970s. But it has failed to address claims of sexual abuse for decades, and the claims have mounted up. The bankruptcy is an attempt to deal with some of the settlements. – The New York Times

“Since AB5 took effect on January 1, hundreds of thousands of Californians are finding their businesses in tatters. Musicians can’t join bands for a one-night gig, chefs can’t join forces with caterers, nurses can’t work at various hospitals, and writers must cap their submissions per media outlet to 35 per year.” – City Journal

Dear United States, this isn’t new – but it is alarming. “For centuries, autocrats, authoritarians, and dictators have held a fascination with using architecture as a political tool to glorify their regimes, often while also dismissing modern architectural styles as lowbrow, cold, or weak. The current crop of far-right world leaders with authoritarian impulses is no different—and that now appears to include President Donald Trump.” – Slate

And the Writers Guild is ready to crack down on their wayward members. The WGA president wrote, “‘For any writers breaking the rules there must and will be accountability.’ He added: ‘We know that some agents are harassing former clients to work with them in secret under the false premise that ‘everyone else has come back.’'” – Los Angeles Times