economics

John Scott

John Scott — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:25:40 -0700

Retired military officer. Former vice president for a manufacturing firm.

Master of Public Administration

Bachelor of Arts, Economics/Business Administration

Bruce Judson

Bruce Judson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:10:16 -0700

Can Anyone Read “The Economy” Correctly?

William Daniels — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:52:06 -0700

On July 5, 2009 U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said: “We misread how bad the economy was…”. Well that’s exactly what the previous administration did also.

Isn’t it about time we stepped back and took a fresh and comprehensive look at just what it is that is being “read”? Reading the markets, the unemployment numbers, the leading economic indicators, the availability of capital, the GDP, etc., etc. has gotten us where we’re at, which most everyone finds unacceptable. Maybe, just maybe, asking different types of questions will allow us to see opportunities that will lead us to some better results.

For example:

Since we have invented so many labor saving devices, do we really need full employment?
Are we reading the experience of well being of human beings?
Is “the economy” serving the people or are the people serving “the economy”?
Are we reading how many human beings are well nourished?
Are we reading how many human beings are adequately sheltered?
Are we reading how many human beings have full access to the best health care?
Are we reading how many human beings have all the education they desire?
Is communication technology available equally to all human beings?
Is transportation available to all human beings when they desire it?
Are human beings getting all the recreation they desire?
What is the definition of “economics”?
What is the definition of “finance”?
What are the underlying assumptions of the financial system?
Are the foundational principles of finance in sync with the foundational principles of economics?
Is there an economy, independent of human beings?
Since we get resources from most everywhere in the world, and provide goods and services to as many people as possible around the world, doesn’t the well being of people everywhere affect us?
Is there a more efficient way to provide for the well being of human beings?
Is it possible to design an economic management system in which there are not both winners and losers?

William Daniels
503-314-6902
wdinpdx@yahoo.com
BillionsofBillionaires.blogspot.com
Copyright. Please distribute this freely for non-commercial purposes.

Self-Interest vs Altruism - Problems in Scaling the Decision Process

Tom Crowl — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:51:52 -0800

Both Self-Interest and Altruism are inherent motivations in humans and have essential and established roles in evolutionary theory well supported by both observation and controlled experiment.

Examples of altruism extend across many species: soldier ants sacrificing themselves for the colony, vervet monkeys sounding loud alarms to warn of threats though it draws a predator's attention to themselves, bats regurgitating blood meals for hungry companions... and soldiers storming Omaha Beach in Normandy.

(For a good discussion see Biological Altruism Stanford Encyclopoedia of Philosophy, revised Oct. '08)

This was a dilemma for Darwin himself and he recognized it as perhaps the greatest challenge to his theory of natural selection presented in "The Origin of Species".

How could it possibly make sense for an organism to act against its own self-interest thus reducing its chance for reproduction? It seems such a trait would die out since those carrying it would be putting themselves at a disadvantage compared to those without it!

In "Descent of Man" he glimpsed the truth. Evolutionary forces also act on the group as a whole. Later investigations by many scientists have shown how an individual organism may, by reducing its own advantage, increase the survivability of the group and thereby a greater proportion of its own characteristics. (In fact, evolutionary forces act on many levels from genes, to cells, to organisms, to ecologies, and perhaps even the planet as a whole, but that's not the focus here.)

THE PROBLEM IN SCALING THE DECISION PROCESS IN HUMAN SOCIETIES

Self-interest is clearly bounded. In other words its quite clear where it begins and ends: the individual and his/her personal survivability.

However altruism is NOT!

The boundaries of what might be called extended identities vary from individual to individual and from sub-group to sub-group within the entire human species.

Further, the intensity of attachment to these extended identities is directly related to proximity.

Proximity here can be defined as genetic, geographic, or cultural (social, political, psychological, etc.) and is the primary factor regulating the inherent force and direction of altruistic motivations in a deciding individual.

In short, altruistic drives weaken with distance whether genetic, geographic or cultural.

Human individuals and groups engage in conscious decision processes with intent of both personal and group effect.

With scale these decision processes require hierarchical structures and compartmentalization since if each individual were expected to participate in every decision we'd all soon starve with lack of time for anything other than "deciding" group issues.

However, hierarchies with scale become increasingly problematic because the relationship of proximity to altruism tends to narrow the focus of the Deciders.

This is because WITH SCALE THE SELF-INTEREST MOTIVATION OF THE DECIDER REMAINS CONSTANT BUT THE FOCUS AND INTENSITY OF THE ALTRUISTIC DRIVE DOES NOT NECESSARILY EXPAND TO MATCH THE LARGER GROUP.

Especially where the hierarchical structure erodes proximity.

The U.S. Constitution and others are an implicit acknowledgement of this by recognizing the need for both hierarchcal and distributed (egalitarian) mechanisms for proper balance.

It remains a sound structure. However subsequent and additional changes in scale, social structure, legal structure (corporate law especially), technology and culture make additional attention vitally necessary.

There is no single or simple solution to these issues.

As may be becoming more generally known I'm a fanatic for the idea of Political MicroDonation (under $1) and the Individually-Controlled/Commons-Dedicated Account at the core of a distributed network as a vital tool for that rebalancing. But it's not the only tool needed.

http://Culturalengineer.blogspot.com

Donald Nielsen

Donald Nielsen — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:05:58 -0800

DONALD W. NIELSEN, Ph.D.
7886 Medinah Court.
Pleasanton, CA 94588
donaldwnielsen@earthlink.net
Cell: (925) 918-1693 Home: (925) 485-1484

Executive Summary
Experienced executive with science credentials, interests and knowledge in the arts, and demonstrated accomplishments in: increasing net assets; transforming organizations; fundraising; forming joint ventures and collaborations; building organizations, research groups, and graduate programs; attracting and motivating faculty, staff, and students; and commercializing technology.

Executive Experience

CEO, Northern California Cancer Center 2003 to 2008
Recruited as chief executive officer and board member for this 170-person, $15 million cancer research organization in a crucial time of dwindling funding sources resulting from a heavy dependency (95%) on shrinking government funding
• Initiated, negotiated, and signed Memorandum of Understanding with Stanford University School of Medicine making NCCC essential to the future success of Stanford’s Cancer Center and winning the coveted Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH
• Created opportunities for important inter-institutional collaborations that integrated Stanford’s molecular biology and cutting edge biotechnology with NCCC’s epidemiology and was a member of the Executive Council of the Stanford Cancer Center
• Increased NCCC’s prestige and visibility by establishing an External Advisory Board of nationally recognized experts to review quality, progress, and direction of the organization’s programs and administration
• Made NCCC more competitive by:
o Creating a Communications Manager position and hiring a PR firm to focus communications on external marketing and establishing an NCCC-wide graphic identity, as well as revising and redesigning the NCCC website and all publications
o Recruiting a new IT Director and raising the level of IT support, aligning IT with essential business practices and strategies
• Focused on single funding source challenge and began strategies to diversify NCCC’s revenue streams:
o Recruited Fund Development Director and initiated fund raising efforts to increase funding by donations
o Competed successfully to win pro bono consulting services from Stanford Business School Alumni Consulting Team (ACT)
o Used ACT as a catalyst for change and worked with them to determine the feasibility of selling NCCC services at market value to Contract Research Organizations (CRO’s), Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech companies to create new profit streams
o Hired business development consultant and initiated diversification of funding effort, marketed organization to CRO’s, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech companies, signed several Master Service Agreements and won contracts with Genentech and Amgen, as well as $90 million overall opportunity with CDC through collaboration with a CRO
• Identified aging Union City facilities as problem and increased company image and staff morale by re-locating into a modern, functional, and less costly facility in Silicon Valley
• Acquired an additional research group, and Berkeley site to house the new group, thus expanding NCCC’s research to include environmental causes of cancer and geographic information systems, as well as risk factors for childhood cancer

Executive Director, Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, Missouri 1994 to 2002
Recruited as chief executive officer and board member for this 80-year old, 180-person, multifaceted organization (school for the deaf, clinic, graduate program, and research program) at a precarious time of declining productivity and stature.
• Set and monitored $10 million annual budget and provided the leadership and vision that resulted in an eight-year period of growth, and prosperity.
o Increased net assets from $22 million to $45 million in first five years.
o Successfully solicited over $30 million in funding for new CID campus, and designed and built two new award-wining facilities to house modern biology research, school for deaf children, and administration
• Clarified organization’s mission and devised and implemented its first successful strategic plan, reorganized its management, rebuilt and reinvented programs, and encouraged and supported professional growth of staff
• Formed business alliance with for-profit Crown Optical to open hearing clinics selling hearing aids in Crown Optical stores
• Created and grew new cellular/molecular biology based research program within CID to international prominence
• Revived the graduate program with new focus to largest enrollment ever —a program that was subsequently rated in the top 10 by U.S. News and World Report and has since graduated 15–20 students a year
• Increased CID’s stature and visibility through: recruiting of internationally recognized staff, establishing an organization-wide graphic identity, working with a PR firm, instituting an external peer review of all the organization’s programs using national advisory boards and by being active in professional organizations.
• Formed strategic alliances with Washington University Medical Center, instigated successful merger with another nonprofit, Deaf Services
• Constantly protected CID’s interests in negotiations, agreements, joint ventures, and intellectual property issues in concert with organization’s attorneys
• Served as CID representative to Washington University Medical Center Corporation

Executive Vice President of Research, House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, California 1986 to 1994
Recruited to increase the quality and productivity of Institute’s research and to initiate acquisition of peer reviewed government research funding
• Directed and significantly improved interactions with FDA, NIH, and local IRB, negotiated research contracts with industry, universities, and government, formed a joint business venture between the organization and a Canadian company, and protected Institute’s interests in cooperative agreements
• Formed new hearing aid research program, recruited research head and facilitated development of a new digital hearing aid, then negotiated intellectual property rights and collaboration with Starkey Laboratories Inc. to commercialize the device
• With new head of hearing aid research, initiated an international hearing aid research conference that is held every other year and brings together scientists and business development people from industry, universities and independent research organizations to share cutting edge ideas and form collaborations- The conference continues to this day and plays a leading role in the development and commercialization of hearing aids
• Created new cochlear implant research program, recruited program leader, and formed a multi-faceted team of otological and neurological surgeons, psychophysicists, neuropathologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, engineers, audiologists, and geneticists that completely redesigned, and successfully developed and tested an implantable auditory brainstem stimulator hearing device- Subsequently collaborated with Cochlear Corporation to conduct clinical trials, educate surgeons, and get FDA approval of this orphan device that is the nation’s first implantable chronic brain sensory stimulation device
• With new cochlear implant research head, reinstituted a conference that is held every other year to bring together scientists and business development people from industry, universities and independent research organizations to discuss cutting edge cochlear implant science- Developed the conference into the leading international conference that led the way to developing and perfecting cochlear implants
• Met growth needs by building a new 120,000 sq. ft. facility, guided planning of research space in the new facility, and helped solicit $35 million funding for it
• Initiated government and commercial research funding, including SBIR support, to supplement foundation and private donor support

Director, Otological Research Laboratories, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, 1974 to 1986
• Recruited to revitalize this once prominent laboratory that had been shut down for two years.
• Began alone, quickly recruited staff, established research programs in electrophysiology, pathology and psychophysics and conducted long-term cooperative research ventures with universities and a Canadian hospital
• Helped write hospital’s Principles and Policies for the Administrative Support of Biomedical Research and its Guidelines for Intramural Funding
• Made funding and space decisions as member of hospital Research Committee
• Competed successfully for intra- and extramural funding, including NIH and private foundations
• Participated in design of new laboratories in new building
• Supervised training of residents, fellows, and graduates, medical and pre-med students
• Member, Project Research and Human Rights Committee (1975 to 1978)
• Care of Experimental Animals Committee (1985 to 1986)
• Coauthored Fundamentals of Hearing a bestselling textbook and published articles in peer-reviewed journals including Science and was active as an officer and board member of professional organizations

Boards& Volunteer Work

Fremont California Chamber of Commerce
Board member 2008

Peninsula Women’s Chorus
Board member & Chair of Governance Committee (2007 to Present)

Northern California Cancer Center
Board member (2003 to 2008)

Purdue University
Member, Audiology Advisory Board, Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences (2001 to 2008); Co-chair 2002- 2004

Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, Missouri
Board member (1994 to 2002)

Salvation Army Transitional Housing Program
Strategic Planning Facilitator, (United Way Volunteer) 2001

Northwestern University – Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Member, Hugh Knowles Advisory Board, Member 1995 to 2000; Chair 1996-2000

Association of Independent Research Institutes
Board member (1995 to 1998); Vice President 1995-1998; Member, Government Relations Committee 1997-1998; Member, Strategic Planning Committee 1998.

Society of Research Administrators
Member, Board of Directors (1990 to 1995); President Independent Research Organizations Division 1991;
President Western Section 1993; Member, Strategic Planning Committee 1997

Association for Research in Otolaryngology
Council Member (1981 to 1987); Secretary/Treasurer & Newsletter Editor 1981-1983; Chair, Bylaws Committee 1985-1986; Member Government Relations Committee 1998-1999; President 1986

Honors and Awards

Psi Chi: National Honorary Society in Psychology, (President, Wayne State University Chapter, 1967)
Sigma Xi: National Science Honorary Society
Who's Who in Frontiers of Science and Technology, 2nd Edition
Who's Who in the Midwest, 20th Edition

Additional Professional Organizations of Interest

American Association for the Advancement of Science (1964-2008)

New York Academy of Science (1974-2008)

Association of Fundraising Professionals (1995- 2004)

Formal Education

Ph.D. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, Major: Experimental Psychology 1968

M.A. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, Major: Experimental Psychology 1967

B.A. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, Major: Psychology; Minor: Economics 1963

Additional Courses of Interest

Harvard Business School, Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Program (4/27 – 5/3) 1997

Harvard School of Public Health, Commercializing Biomedical Technologies (Nov. 7-9) 1994

Academic Positions

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 1994 to 2002
Professor and Chair, Speech and Hearing Department, 1994 to 2002 (Chair, 1994 to 1996)
Adjunct Professor of Otolaryngology, 1995 to 2002

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 1988 to 1994
Research Associate Professor of Otolaryngology
Research Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 1975 to 1986
Adjunct Faculty in Audiology, Psychology, and Otolaryngology Departments

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 1968 to 1974
NIH Special Fellow (1971 to 1973)
Assistant Professor, Department of Speech & Associate, Center for Neurobiological Sciences (1970 to 1974)
Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate, Communication Sciences Laboratory (1968 to 1970)
• Conducted research, published, taught and coordinated CSL seminars. (1968 to 1974)
• Member, Review Panel, Division of Sponsored Research Seed Money Proposals ( 1973 to 1974)
• Chair, Salary Study Committee, Department of Speech (1974)

The Levy Economics Institute

Susan Ozawa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:46:08 -0700

Political Economy Research Institute

OurFuture.org Staff — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:10:46 -0700

Jim Pivonka

Jim Pivonka — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:35:00 -0700

My website and weblog are at jimpivonka.com

I was born in my Mom's father's home in La Crosse, KS, but lived the first four years of my life on my folks' farm 7 miles West of Buena Vista Colorado - my first and most beloved home. My family moved to a farm 4 miles W. of La Crosse, Kansas, when I was four.

My first 2 years of school were in a one room country school with a woodstove in the center of the room and outdoor plumbing. The school taught grades one through eight. There were nine of us in total, three in my class, which was the largest. Upper grade students helped the younger ones with their studies. When I was in first grade, the second grader, Bobby Jack, drove to school in a Ford Model A, and sometimes brought the teacher. Once he did not brake on time, and almost knocked the building off its foundation.

At home I learned to read by the light of a kerosene lantern until we got electricity. That was about third grade, if I recall correctly. I grew up loving to read anyway, courtesy of my grandparents' and parents' influence. It is fair to say that my most important early education was in Howard Barnard's Library in La Crosse, so I am in a sense a Barnard graduate too. (The Library's collection was founded by Mr. Barnard with his inheritance from the family in New York.)

After graduating High School in La Crosse, I spent two years at Fort Hays State College (now University). I transferred to the University of Kansas as a Junior and completed my degree in Geology there. The year I graduated there were no jobs in Geology, and I opted out of Graduate study. Geology and the biological sciences, especially evolutionary biology, are still my primary interests.

I had planned to wander to the US West coast and travel to Mexico City in time for Christmas there, but instead took a job collecting delinquent taxes for the IRS in Kansas City. After two years of that I entered the Federal Management Intern program at IRS's National Office in Washington. I later served as IRS's Regional Fiscal Management Officer in San Francisco.

I stayed with IRS for 30 years, with three brief breaks. One was for the Army where I suffered through "E-2-2" and "BAAC"- Fort Leonard Wood was NASTY! But two advanced education sabbaticals, Stanford in 71-72 and Harvard's JFK School in 82-83, were really fantastic. I loved the time in courses, lectures, and "the Dome" at MIT while at Harvard, too.

Divorced, I have a daughter and three granddaughters who keep me feeling proud and happy.

Since my retirement I have been learning new stuff, mostly computers and what has changed in the biological and planetary sciences since my graduation. Since 9-11 I have focused on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

Though a Kansas resident, I now spend about half my time in the San Francisco Bay area.

In matters of religion I am a committed, proselytizing, Deist, close to the Taoism of Chuang Tze as translated by Thos. Mertin, and Acosmic Panentheism as described by P.K. Dick.

Irrelevancies in addition to my astrological sign, Libra, are my pronounced Meyers-Briggs INTP and an ambiguous neuro linguistic programming (NLP) type - possibly olfactory or - according to one practitioner - a "switch hitter".

David Broder: The Democrats' Worst Nightmare

Robert Borosage — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:14:31 -0700

David Broder’s April 24 Washington Post column on Arizona Sen. John McCain, entitled “The Democrats’ Worst Nightmare,” concludes with this little nugget:

“Yet, in pointing to those vulnerabilities in her rival, Clinton has heightened the most obvious liability she would carry into a fight against McCain. In an age of deep cynicism about politicians of both parties, McCain is the rare exception who is not assumed to be willing to sacrifice personal credibility to prevail in any contest.”

What possibly could Broder be drinking? Has he forgotten:

The John McCain who initially voted against the Bush tax cuts as irresponsible giveaways to the wealthy, but now embraces them, a change in position justified only by his desire to “prevail” in the “contest” for the Republican nomination?
Or the John McCain who had the votes in his hand to outlaw the administration’s grotesque torture policies, and instead caved to support the bill that empowered President Bush to define what torture is, a flip-flop motivated only because of the potential cost of his position in the upcoming election?
Or the McCain that went from denouncing Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as “agents of intolerance” in 2004 to doing exactly what he denounced—“pandering to outer reaches of American politics—by kissing their rings in the run-up to the 2008 nominating contest?

Why the utter nonsense reported as accepted fact? Here as so often, Broder, the widely respected dean of Washington punditocracy, is a mirror of conventional wisdom. And as TV host Chris Mathews notes, “The media loves McCain. We’re his base.”

But can’t reporters love the guy without drinking the Kool-Aid? McCain has now put forth an economic plan that adds an astounding $300 billion dollars a year in corporate and top-end tax cuts to a commitment to make Bush’s tax cuts permanent. This is an utterly irresponsible and fantastical posture at a moment the economy is headed into recession and the dollar is already sinking.

The commentariat will have to decide whether their affection for McCain overcomes their commitment to common sense. Their choice should be instructive. If they follow Broder, that will be the Democrats' worst nightmare.

Economic Policy Institute

Scott Laczay — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:39:22 -0800

Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy.