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Robert Putnam’s history traces the ups and downs of US job security, distribution of wealth and community values
Concerns about police and education quality rise as former leader faces assault trial
Dissident who shone a light on abuse in the Soviet system
Four new books examine the leader’s hold over Russia through the lens of history
Two new books lament the west’s decline and the threat from rival powers
A study of the disruption of journalism reveals how traditional lines are being crossed
John Lloyd considers two valuable books showing that people who are swayed by populist parties aren’t necessarily bigoted and that their fears are real
A profound sense of loss flows through Jason Cowley’s essays on the state of the nation
Civilisations have engaged in espionage since biblical times — but the ethics of spying remain as murky as ever
Leading chronicler of UK labour and industry at the FT who became Labour government adviser
John Lloyd finds nationalist certainties dissolving along the byways of literary history and the ‘Debatable Land’
Public spending with broad support for capitalism is a consensus that no longer holds
Oxford University has long relied on deep-pocketed donors, but should some be turned away?
The forensic account of the world’s mafias, from Japan’s Yakuza to Italy’s ’Ndrangheta
Journalists are rightly worried about fake news and ‘alternative facts’ — but our new world has much in common with the old
May’s stance gives SNP a new call to arms, but the case for independence is unclear
How the high hopes of early-1990s central Europe gave way to creeping authoritarianism
Spymasters speak to the FT about truth, transparency and state power
Radical communicator of hidden power in art
There is ground to be regained in the west from the populist right
Reflections on Margaret Thatcher and the media through four classicists and courtiers
The decline of newspapers puts them level with vast flows of fantasy and leaks
Voters are turning away from society’s truths towards private pursuits
Rational political speech is under attack and failing to convince a sceptical public. Should we blame the media?
The new normal is unlikely to be a return to settled party rule, writes John Lloyd
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