JACOBIN

JUNE 3. 2025

The Economist Who Solved the Free-Rider Problem

Defenders of capitalism argue that cooperation is undermined by individuals’ tendency to take more from society than they contribute. The economist Elinor Ostrom refuted this idea, but without identifying capitalism as the real cause of exploitation.

The IP Machine Laughs at Itself

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg mock Hollywood’s creative collapse in The Studio — while continuing to churn out sequels, reboots, and branded spin-offs.

Serbia’s Protests, From Blockades to the Ballot

A deadly station roof-canopy collapse in Novi Sad, Serbia, last fall sparked months of protests. Blockades and rallies have mobilized masses of people — but the difficulty forcing institutional change has made some activists look to the electoral arena.

JUNE 2. 2025

Here Lies Hudson’s Bay Company, Murdered by Private Equity

Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada’s oldest retailer, didn’t die of natural causes — it was gutted by private equity. Stripped of assets and loaded with debt, it leaves behind job losses, endangered pensions, and a hollowed-out legacy reduced to branding rights.

Trump’s Budget Includes a Giveaway to a Chilean Billionaire

Mining was banned in northeastern Minnesota due to the irreversible damage it would do to the state’s fresh water. A last-minute provision to the Republican budget bill will allow a Chilean magnate with ties to the Trump family to mine the protected lands.

Mahmoud Khalil’s Case Is About the Future of Free Speech

Despite some recent advances in his case against the Trump administration, Mahmoud Khalil remains confined for opposing genocide in Gaza — an imprisonment that makes a mockery of the First Amendment.

The Boss Is Right to Talk About Class

Bruce Springsteen recently accused the Trump administration of taking “sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. ” He rightly attacked the administration’s favorite lie: its claim that Trump represents the working class.

Defending Academic Freedom in The Male Animal

At a time when academic and political repression is sweeping the United States, the 1942 screwball comedy The Male Animal offers a reminder of what courage in the face of crackdowns on a college campus can look like.

French Leaders Are Using Trump’s Trade War to Push Austerity

European leaders have lined up to condemn Donald Trump’s tariff plans as absurd. Yet some are also using the crisis to push their existing agendas — with France’s government stepping up pressure for sweeping budget cuts.

JUNE 1. 2025

A Half-Century of Harry Braverman’s Labor and Monopoly Capital

Harry Braverman’s arguments in his classic book Labor and Monopoly Capital presciently forecasted much of our present labor regime — and can help us move beyond it.

MAY 31. 2025

Today’s Far-Right Crankery Has Libertarian Ancestry

The virulent nationalism and racism of the contemporary far right are typically seen as having little in common with figures like Friedrich Hayek. But the far right’s pseudoscientific defenses of hierarchy have roots in Hayek and his acolytes’ thought.

The Debt Economy Is Eating Everyone Alive

For people locked out of homeownership, “Buy Now, Pay Later” has become a way to finance basic expenses — with future income that may not actually materialize. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is busy protecting the lenders.

MAY 30. 2025

Friendship Is a Cringe Comedy About Ghastly Human Need

The excruciatingly funny Friendship finds comedian Tim Robinson pursuing a creepy bromance with Paul Rudd. It’s surprisingly well-done, using cringe humor to explore the growing phenomenon of male loneliness.

1938 Shows a People Taking Control of Their Economy

The new Mexican film 1938 tells the story of the nation’s historic expropriation of the oil industry. Jacobin sat down with director Sergio Olhovich to talk about the long-awaited project — finally realized with the support of the AMLO administration.