Martin Wolf, “Why so little has changed since the financial crash”
(Financial Times – paywall, 4 September 2018)
Normally, we don’t include FT articles because of the paywall, but this one is so incisive and such a salutary warning that we decided to make an exception. The editorialist argues that the current inertia is caused by the power of vested interests. We live in a rent-extracting economy in which monopoly and “zero-sum” activities are pervasive. Few question the value of the vast quantities of financial sector activity that continue to exist or recognize the risks of further big financial crises (reads in 6-7 min).
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Daniel Moss, “OK, So China Will Surpass the U.S. Economy. Then What?”
(Bloomberg, 3 September 2018)
In the long-term, the US will outstrip China because the Middle Kingdom has set itself up for a brutal demographic collapse. Shortly after China overtakes the US economy in size (around 2030), all the legacies of the one-child policy coalesce as the society seriously ages, stalling out China’s expansion. The US will also face demographic challenges, but nothing on the scale of China. India and Indonesia will benefit (reads in 4-5 min).
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Chandran Nair, “Why pessimism is under-rated”
(World Economic Forum, 5 September 2018)
This is a powerful response to the spate of books and articles arguing that the world is better off than ever (we included some of them in previous editions). Not quite so simple, says Chandran! The real progress that has been made in poverty alleviation, public health, and living standards does not account for the costs of these achievements. Progress is in fact divorced from its impact on the planet, and rooted in the illusion that human society is separate from the natural world (reads in 5-6 min).
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Jochen Bittner, “How the Far Right Conquered Sweden”
(The New York Times – metered paywall, 6 September 2018)
On Sunday, Sweden – a successful economy and a bastion of social democracy – might end up with a far-right party in government after national elections. This is a must-read to understand how the issue of migration (factual or not) is going to shape politics for years to come. Countries that refuse to deal with the realities of mass immigration are bound to be in trouble (reads in 5-6 min).
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Thierry Malleret and Chris Maxwell, “Enhance Decision Making and Problem Solving by Walking”
(Wharton Executive Education, 30 September 2018)
A bit self-serving because we co-wrote it, but it doesn’t make it less true! Leading decision-makers are increasingly recognizing that not only are walking and working compatible, but that walking actually improves business outcomes. Simple yet effective: walking improves decision-making and problem solving (reads in 3-5 min).
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