In order to work well, markets need a basic level of trust. James Surowiecki basiclevelmarket Change image and share on social
In American politics, 'Europe' is usually a code word for 'big government.' James Surowiecki americanbigcode Change image and share on social
There are certainly valid reasons for taking a company private, and it's also possible that C.E.O.s perform better when monitored by a small number of owners in a private company rather than by the dispersed and often uninterested shareholders of a public corporation. James Surowiecki companycorporationdisperse share on social
Markets work best when there's lots of information available and a historical track record to go on; they excel at predicting things like horse races, election outcomes, and box-office results. But they're bad at predicting things like who will be the next Supreme Court nominee, as that depends on the whim of the president. James Surowiecki badboxcourt share on social
If you thought the advent of the Internet, the spread of cheap and efficient information technology, and the growing fragmentation of the consumer market were all going to help smaller companies thrive at the expense of the slow-moving giants of the Fortune 500, apparently you were wrong. James Surowiecki adventapparentlycheap share on social
In the struggle between capital and labor, more often than not capital has won, because the real source of value for most companies has historically been the hard assets that they owned and controlled. James Surowiecki assetcapitalcompany share on social
Of course, plenty of people don't think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government. James Surowiecki affordablecoregovernment Change image and share on social
Nike used to be known as Blue Ribbon Sports. What's now Sara Lee used to be Consolidated Foods. And Exxon was once Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. These were name changes that worked. But for all the ones that do, there are 10 or 20 that don't. James Surowiecki bluecompanyconsolidate share on social
Besides great climates and lovely beaches, California and Greece share a fondness for dysfunctional politics and feckless budgeting. James Surowiecki beachbudgetecalifornia Change image and share on social
Unlike most government programs, Social Security and, in part, Medicare are funded by payroll taxes dedicated specifically to them. Some of the tax revenue pays for current benefits; anything that's left over goes into trust funds for the future. The programs were designed this way for political reasons. James Surowiecki benefitcurrentdedicate share on social