Politics

Economists study who bears the cost of import duties. The evidence on recent U.S. tariffs is more consistent than the political argument around them.

Most binding federal law is written by agencies, not Congress. The notice-and-comment process that produces it is open, slow and widely misunderstood.

States compete for companies with rates, credits and incentive packages. The research on whether the deals pay for themselves is far from settled.

Authorisation, appropriation, reconciliation and continuing resolutions are different things. Confusing them is why shutdown coverage is so hard to follow.