Economy
The Dirty Little Secret of How CEOs Enrich Themselves at Your Expense
Everyone is talking about a favorite Wall Street trick called stock buybacks. But what are they and what do they mean to you? Business expert William Lazonick answers with a clarion call for changing the way America does business.
Public Pressure Can Influence The Federal Reserve
The structure of the Federal Reserve ensures that the banking industry's concerns get a full hearing at Fed meetings, while those of workers may not. But that doesn't mean protests against Fed policies are futile.
Solar Power Gets Hot, Hot, Hot
With so many homeowners and businesses making greener energy choices, private utilities see the writing on the wall. They're trying to coax lawmakers into rigging the rules against increasingly competitive new energy alternatives.
If Congress Won't, President Obama May Have To Address Inversions
Corporate “inversions” are all the rage. No, I’m not talking about Wall Street yoga — although the term does refer to a method for companies to twist and contort themselves in order to evade taxes.
Wall Street Analysts: High Inequality Makes Us Vulnerable to Crashes
For many years there were some economists who argued that their discipline should focus on growth and not worry about inequality. But a research brief Standard and Poor’s concludes that growth versus equality is a false choice.
The Class War Goes Retail
Why does Wall Street tank on news portending economic gains for most Americans? Don’t people with extra money boost the economy when they spend more freely? Isn’t it something worth celebrating? Not in an economy that caters to the rich.
Tom Friedman, Globalization's Man in Madagascar
Thomas Friedman recently filed an editorial from, and about, Madagascar. In a new piece for Salon, we point out the flaws in his thinking - flaws that mirror his shortsighted and trend-infatuated view of the domestic economy. Friedman is an ideal exemplar of...
Inside Our Profoundly Unequal ‘New Normal’
Wealth's current tilt to the top sometimes seems almost eternal. But can our economy ‘self-correct’? A provocative new paper out of the developed world's official research agency contemplates our tomorrow.
A Campaign That Helps Women 'Make It Work' In This Economy
The "Make it Work" campaign is primarily concerned with issues surrounding equal pay, caregiving, and work and family life. Vivien Labaton, the campaign co-founder, explains how it plans to advance its agenda.
Who Really Rates as a ‘True Egalitarian’?
A leading conservative academic is charging that critics of America's top-heavy distribution of income and wealth are missing the bigger picture. In the process, progressive economists point out, he's only fogging that picture up.
