Tag Archives: United States

Gross National Happiness

‘What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful’ (Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama) By Derek Bok, In a time of tight budgets and financial crisis, politicians look to economic growth as the centrepiece of their domestic policy programmes. Gross … Continue reading

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A Clash of Generations

By Thomas L. Friedman ATHENS I realize that I should be in Washington watching the debt drama there, but I’ve opted instead to be in Greece to observe the off-Broadway version. There are a lot of things about this global … Continue reading

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We’re spent

By David Leonhard THERE is no shortage of explanations for the economy’s maddening inability to leave behind the Great Recession and start adding large numbers of jobs: The deficit is too big. The stimulus was flawed. China is overtaking us. … Continue reading

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A matter of indifference

By Marc Brost – Heike Buchter – Mark Schieritz One can’t even see this crisis, and that’s the dangerous thing about it. Tens of thousands of Germans are on holidays in Italy, relaxing on the beach at Viareggio or strolling through the streets of … Continue reading

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The R-word

By Ted Rall The Associated Press’ Paul Wiseman had one of the snappier headlines last week: “The Economic Recovery Turns Two – Feel Better?” “After previous recessions, people in all income groups tended to benefit,” Wiseman wrote. “This time, ordinary … Continue reading

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Excuses

By Paul Krugman If you were shocked by Friday’s job report, if you thought we were doing well and were taken aback by the bad news, you haven’t been paying attention. The fact is, the United States economy has been … Continue reading

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Cui bono* ?

By Joseph E Stiglitz Just a few years ago, a powerful ideology – the belief in free and unfettered markets – brought the world to the brink of ruin. Even in its hey-day, from the early 1980s until 2007, US-style … Continue reading

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The ceiling and the abyss

From the Economist GIDEON RACHMAN had a good thumb-sucker in yesterday’s Financial Times arguing that the current political-economic crises in America and Europe are basically two sides of the same crisis. “In Washington they are arguing about a debt ceiling; … Continue reading

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Buying Time

By Stephe S. Roach The global economy is in the midst of its second growth scare in less than two years. Get used to it. In a post-crisis world, these are the footprints of a failed recovery. The reason is … Continue reading

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Black Swan Events

By Nouriel Roubini Despite the series of low-probability, high-impact events that have hit the global economy in 2011, financial markets continued to rise happily until a month or so ago. The year began with rising food, oil, and commodity prices, … Continue reading

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