Chris Winters

CHRIS WINTERS is a senior editor at YES!, where he specializes in covering democracy and the economy. Chris has been a journalist for more than 20 years, writing for newspapers and magazines in the Seattle area. He’s covered everything from city council meetings to natural disasters, local to national news, and won numerous awards for his work. He is based in Seattle, and speaks English and Hungarian.

Black Lives Matter protest

The Past, Present, and Future of Work

Our work environment is deeply dysfunctional. But making systemic change requires understanding how we got here.

September 6, 2022

character-based lending

Lending on Character, Not Credit Scores

Character-based lending is the practice of issuing loans based primarily on the borrower’s character—their involvement in and ties to the community, or their reputation and track record therein—relegating financial criteria to a smaller role in decision-making.

December 22, 2021

Portland Bridge

Three Cities Switching To Life-Affirming Economies

At its most basic level, doughnut economics is a way of describing an economic system that extends beyond strictly financial measures, like gross domestic product, to include environmental sustainability and healthy, thriving communities.

March 1, 2021

Tiny Houses Alone Can’t Solve the Housing Crisis. But Here’s What Can

In choosing to live in community—sharing not just a house, but their lives with each other—they’ve defined a new American Dream. They hope others will follow their model, if not by making the same choice, then by being willing to look beyond traditional boundaries.

May 25, 2018

Raj Patel on How to Break Away from Capitalism

Capitalism has been the world’s dominant economic system for more than 700 years. And as it brings the planet to new crises, author Raj Patel believes it’s important to imagine what might replace it. But reform won’t happen unless we understand capitalism’s appeal and historical rise, says Patel, a food justice activist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. It’s remarkably resilient and can be traced to a process he calls “cheapness.”

November 3, 2017