What will Israel do next and why? Why an ageing demographic may not be so dire after all. Why many Americans think that there is a real risk of violence at next year’s election. Why focus on employees can boost a company’s performance. Why being a good listener matters so much.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Ian Bremmer, What should Israel do next?
(GZERO, 25 October 2023)
Among the myriad of similar pieces, this one stands out in terms of brevity and clarity. The crux: just because Israel’s objective to defend itself “is understandable, legitimate, and desirable, it does not mean it is feasible or strategically wise.” As Bremmer explains (like many other columns over the past days) a large-scale invasion of Gaza would be counterproductive. Yet it will happen, for reasons that are “emotional rather than strategic” (in the words of the White House). “The military and intelligence services understand the difficulty and danger of a long-term occupation, but the leadership and citizenry are intent on going in hard and going in now, consequences be damned” (free access, reads in 5-7 min).
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Rainer Kotschy and David Bloom, Economic growth prospects in the face of population ageing
(CEPR, 22 October 2023)
May be demography is not economic destiny after all! The economic consequences of ageing are normally depicted as dire, but they don’t have to be. The two scholars argue that conventional measure of working age ignores advancements in functional capacity in terms of mortality, disability, strength, and cognition wrought by healthy ageing. By taking a ‘prospective’ approach to the measurement of population age structure, based on expected years of life ahead, they suggest that the demographic headwind can be harnessed (a bit wonky, but a very useful read – free access – 8-10 min).
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Asley Lopez, More Americans say they support political violence ahead of the 2024 election
(NPR, 25 October 2023)
The US election will be one of next year’s most consequential global events with worldwide ramifications. Much of the global outlook hinges on it. Ahead of it, as this short piece shows, tensions are high among American voters. In a recent national survey, researchers found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe democracy is ‘at risk’ in the upcoming presidential election, and about a quarter of those surveyed said they think “American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country.” Compared to past surveys, researchers also found an uptick in support for conspiracy theories, with a significant increase in “QAnon believers (from 14% to 23%),” as well as a “a decrease in QAnon rejecters,” since 2021 (free access, reads in 4-5 min).
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Kate Whiting, This MIT professor explains how good jobs can boost productivity and competitiveness
(WEF, 24 October 2023)
How to create ‘good jobs? Zeynep Ton, a MIT professor, has spent years researching the key elements of what constitutes a good job, and later developed the Good Jobs Strategy. In this interview, she provides some insights on what employers should do to ensure they don’t fall into the vicious cycle of low wages, high turnover, and poor customer service. A good job, at a minimum, should provide enough pay so that people can have control over their lives, and it should treat people with respect and dignity. Those are the minimum conditions, but there are other essential attributes: a sense of belonging, meaningfulness, and of recognition. This is not rocket-science, but Ton explains why so many companies still operate in a financial-centric way, unable to focus on their customers, let alone their employees. They then get caught in a vicious circle (free access, 6-8 min).
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David Brooks, We’re Disconnected and Lonely. David Brooks Has a Solution
(The New York Times, 24 October 2024)
In this audio essay (with a transcript available), Brooks gives himself a B minus for his journey to being a “a full human being”. It essentially boils down to being a good listener – attentive, engaged, and active. This is even more crucial in times of social breakdown and polarization: “I’m going to double down on spending as much time as I can, as effectively I can, and seeing another person, in trying to understand their point of view, and trying to make them feel seen, heard, and understood (gifted article, 6 min).
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