Real politics is messy and morally ambiguous and doesn't make for a compelling thriller. James Surowiecki ambiguouscompelmake Change image and share on social
A general principle of good taxation is that similar jobs, and similar kinds of compensation, should be taxed the same way: otherwise, the government is effectively subsidizing some jobs over others. James Surowiecki compensationeffectivelygeneral Change image and share on social
In terms of productivity - that is, how much a worker produces in an hour - there's little difference between the U.S., France, and Germany. But since more people work in America, and since they work so many more hours, Americans create more wealth. James Surowiecki americaamericancreate share on social
Developing countries often have hypertrophied bureaucracies, requiring businesses to deal with enormous amounts of red tape. James Surowiecki amountbureaucracybusiness Change image and share on social
In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else. James Surowiecki badbusinessgood 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
Discussions of health care in the U.S. usually focus on insurance companies, but, whatever their problems, they're not the main driver of health-care inflation: providers are. James Surowiecki carecompanydiscussion Change image and share on social
Businesses that have gone through an episode of hyperinflation become understandably alert to the threat of it: at the first hint of inflation, they're likely to increase prices, since they've learned that if they don't, and inflation hits, their businesses will be wrecked. James Surowiecki alertbusinessepisode share on social
In conditions of uncertainty, humans, like other animals, herd together for protection. James Surowiecki animalconditionherd Change image and share on social
When all is said and done, cheap gas is an illusion, because our reliance on gas creates a whole series of costs that aren't factored in to the pump price - among them congestion, pollution, and increased risk of accidents. James Surowiecki accidentcheapcongestion share on social
