Globalization
-
Sawant on Boeing
“If Boeing executives want to leave the state, they are welcome to do that,” she told a cheering crowd at Town Hall Seattle in 2012. “The fact is, the workers are here. The factories are here. … We are therefore calling for the democratic, public ownership by workers and by the community of the workplaces
-
Watching Brazil
From "The Social Awakening in Brazil" in the NYT today: For all of Brazil’s achievements over the past few decades — a stronger economy, democratic elections, more money and attention directed toward the needs of the poor — there is still a huge gap between the promises of Brazil’s ruling leftist politicians and the harsh
-
Finding the Balance between Centralization and Localism II
The euro zone faces the same choice as the Holy Roman Empire and American patriots of old: how to overcome discredited forms of confederation. Rather than digging themselves into a deeper recession and democratic deficit through austerity measures, the states in the common currency need to form a full and mighty union on Anglo-American lines.
-
Quote of the Day: David Harvey
But one persistent fact within this complex history of uneven neoliberalization has been the universal tendency to increase social inequality and to expose the least fortunate elements in any society–be it in Indonesia, Mexico, or Britain–to the chill winds of austerity and the dull fate of increasing marginalization . . . . The incredible concentrations
-
Finding the Balance between Centralization and Localism I
I was listening to something the other day, and the guy was making a point I had never considered. Empires for the most part, whether ancient or modern, are not particularly intrusive regarding local cultures and customs. Empires more often than not live with local cultural pluralism so long as locals pay their taxes and
-
Coffee and Sugar
Why do some societies stagnate and others develop? It has a lot to do with the level to which elites dominate the system. And elites dominate the system because the basic economic infrastructure allows them to. Let me draw an analogy from what has been traditionally described as the difference between progressive crops like coffee