The periodic round up:
- Regulatory uncertainty: A phony explanation for our jobs problem – I’m not entirely sure why so many policy-makers don’t want to accept the probability that unemployment or (for those still employed) a desire to repay a decade-long debt binge is going to affect their desire to consume …
- Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world – Just when you were thinking that #OccupyWallStreet was a conspiracy theory gone viral, comes a mathematical study of ownership networks among the world’s largest transnational corporations. Conclusion? 147 companies own ~32% of global revenue …
- “Global Data Banking”: Are the Banks Really Ready? – An interesting potential role for banks to play – they already have secure data transmission networks in place, and have a trusted place in our lives. In reality, these days “digital assets” that AREN’T money look pretty much the same to a TCP/IP network – most of our money is moved around as bits rather than coins anyway.
- Show Us A Way Out – This is a protest from the Middle Ages; neo-feudalism rather than neo-liberalism. Is this what happens when our short-term investment horizons encourage business to look beyond “healthy” sustainable profits, and insist on them producing increasingly-growing profits? I think we’re well past “enough” now …
- Opinion – Image – NYTimes.com – An image from the NY Times with a sobering visualisation of the disparity in the division of spoils from improving productivity … and we STILL want to squeeze wages? Just how evil are we?