Rob Reich on the role of foundations in a democracy, with replies from Paul Brest, Larry Kramer, Diane Ravitch, and others. Claude Fischer observes the end of the gender revolution; torture in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty; a possibly innocent man stuck in jail.

Full issue

Essays on democracy in Latin America with Roberto Gargarella, Pedro Salazar Ugarte on demographics in Mexico, Leonardo Avritzer on Brazil's direct democracy, and F. Daniel Hidalgo on electronic voting in Brazil. Claude Fischer on online dating and monogamy; an essay "Femininjas" from Elizabeth Hand on women in fiction.

Mike Konczal leads a forum on debt relief, with responses from Dean Baker, Barbara Fried, and more; Martin O'Neill and Thad Williamson discuss the moral case for free markets; new poetry from John Ashbery, epic fiction from Ariel Dorfman. Plus, a special web only discussion on Chris Hedges's "War Is Betrayal".

James J. Heckman leads the forum on early childhood experiences and social mobility, with replies from Geoffrey Canada, Carol Dweck, Charles Murray, and others. William Hogeland on the liberal originalism; are conservatives more moral than liberals?; how would Americans balance the national debt.

Martin Gilens leads the forum on money and political influence, with replies from Matthew Yglesias, Nancy Rosenblum, Barbara Sinclair, Senator Russ Feingold, and others. Chris Hedges on myths of war; Elaine Scarry argues that poetry changed the world; why Americans don't take vacations; terror, power, and cruelty at Israeli checkpoints.

Michael Sandel leads a forum on how markets crowd out morals, with replies from Richard Sennett, Anita Allen, Samuel Bowles, and others. Claude Fischer takes on the "culture of poverty"; Sandra Tanenbaum on an antidepressant debate that ignores patients; Glenn Loury on the troubling legacy of James Q. Wilson.

David B. Grusky leads a forum on economic inequality, with replies from Mike Konczal, Shikha Dalmia, Ruy Texiera, and others. Madawi Al-Rasheed on the notable absence of an Arab Spring in Saudi Arabia; Bruce Western on why public safety doesn't require more inmates. Plus, Jonathan Kirshner on the New Cinema of the 1970s.

Michael C. Dawson leads the forum on the future of black politics, with responses from William Julius Wilson, Andra Gillespie, Rev. Patrick H. O'Connor, Jennifer L. Hochschild, and others. Danelle Morton tells the stories of young drifters who died in a New Orleans warehouse fire; in Brazil, everyone studies philosophy; a poem by John Ashbery.