Analysis

In America, there is talk of a 'metropolitan revolution' as big cities reinvent themselves. Matthew Taylor asks if we can transform the UK economy by setting our city halls free.

Syria's opposition movements comprise a diverse range of political and armed groups. Edward Stourton investigates the alternatives to President Assad.

Could Quantitative Easing create a bigger financial crisis than the one it was supposed to avert? Sunday Telegraph economic commentator Liam Halligan argues that it could.

Charities have been drawn into the world of outsourced service provision, with the state as their biggest customer. Fran Abrams asks if this threatens their philanthropic roots.

David Aaronovitch asks if the recent publication of government secrets reveals the weakness - not strength - of the state as the libertarian right and liberal left join forces.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party came to power in Egypt's first democratic elections but the party was ousted after just one year. Speaking to insiders close to Mohammed Morsi, Christopher de Bellaigue asks why the Brotherhood failed.

With huge concern over tax avoidance, tax officials are the latest to be given increased discretion. Philosopher Jamie Whyte asks: is the Rule of Man undermining the Rule of Law?

Just what does the Scottish National Party want? And what could it mean for the UK? Douglas Fraser investigates the SNP's long search for an independence vision that works.

Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies argues that taxes look set to rise despite further spending cuts, and finds out which ones are likeliest to go up and who will pay.

Where the Arab Spring overthrew dictators, is the Middle East now dismantling the very 'lines in the sand' imposed by Britain and France a century ago? Edward Stourton investigates.

Is pornograpy really bad for us? Jo Fidgen explores what the evidence tells us about the effects of pornography on those who use it.

Predistribution is Labour's new policy buzzword, used by leader Ed Miliband in a keynote speech. The US thinker who coined the phrase tells Edward Stourton what it means.

The "quantified self" movement promises that life-logging and data-tracking can make us smarter. Frances Stonor Saunders asks whether by measuring what we do we miss who we are.

The gap between English north and south is growing. But does government have the answer? In the north-east, Alison Wolf discovers why 'regional policy' may be a waste of time.

Mukul Devichand hears from leading Labour Party figures who want a radical new welfare settlement, saying the state itself is to blame for society's ills as much as the market.