capitalism

To sort through the question of how to share economic and health progress with everyone, check out a book from the winner of this year’s Nobel award in economics

Cover of Prof. Deaton's book, used under fair use, courtesy of Amazon.com

Cover of Prof. Deaton’s book, used under fair use for this review, courtesy of Amazon.com

Why have we seen such dramatic improvement in average wealth and average life expectancy everywhere in the last 100 or 200 years? What has led to a radical reduction in the number of people living in dirt-eating poverty in the last 50 years?

Over the last few years I have focused a lot of my reading on economics and history trying to figure out the answers to those questions. Why?

If we figure out the answer to those questions we can continue in the same direction. If we sort out how we got here, we can share that strategy with those who have not shared in the progress. If you want a different phrasing, we can radically narrow economic inequality within countries and between countries if we can answer those questions. We can help get even more people out of dirt-eating poverty.

I think those goals are in the back of the mind for most readers of this blog. (Cross posted from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)

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By Jim Ulvog, ago

Capitalism undermines feudalism and offers economic freedom to Dalits

Capitalism does a better job providing freedom and equality than any other system. It is a far better option than feudalism.

Capitalism has been allowed to flourish in India since 1991. The results have been to release large numbers of Dalits from bonded labor. Previously those individuals were restricted to the most dirty, dangerous jobs.

Check out the results in this article by Swaminathan S. Ankelsaria Aiyar, writing at Cato Institute: How Capitalism Is Undermining the Indian Caste System.

(Cross-posted from my other blog, Outrun Change.)

Article is reprinted in full under a Creative Commons license granted by the author: (more…)

By Jim Ulvog, ago

Which disgustingly rich “robber baron” single-handedly saved all the whales?

Eventually I want to revisit the reputation of those horrid men who built the American economy at the end of the 1900s. They gave us massive breakthroughs in economic development.

Until I can write some extended articles, I’ll accumulate tidbits as I go.

Got to thinking about this when Bruce Oksol of Million Dollar Way pointed out

…that Rockefeller and Standard Oil single-handedly saved the whales from extinction

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By Jim Ulvog, ago

The source of wealth, as explained by two musicians.

Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan explain where jobs, growth, prosperity, and wealth come from.

Hint: it isn’t from government. (cross-post from my other blog, Outrun Change.)

A Business Lesson by Frank Zappa

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TWXUatVuxQg&x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534]

He puts out $250,000 of his own money to get a tour ready. He takes all that risk expecting it will pay off later. Here’s the deal: (more…)

By Jim Ulvog, ago

Brief introduction to the Industrial Revolution

I am increasingly interested in economic history. We are now in a place of prosperity and health that would have been unimaginable 300 years ago and barely comprehensible two generations ago. How did we get to a place of such wealth?

If we can figure out an answer to that question we might be able to figure out how to sustain what we now enjoy. More importantly, if we figure out how those of us who enjoy the prosperity others created, we have a better chance of sharing it with other people living in countries more reminiscent of life 500 years ago.

I’ve been reading a lot of economics lately. You can tell from the blog posts. I want to write more on the topic.

This discussion is cross-posted from my other blog, Outrun Change.

Here is a great article on how we got here:

3/27 – A Fine Theorem – “Editor’s Introduction to The New Economic History and the Industrial Revolution,” J. Mokyr (1998) – The post describes a lengthy description of the Industrial Revolution. More on the underlying document in a moment.

The linked article gives a great summary. Here are the five major points in the article with a few aha! ideas that registered in my simple brain: (more…)

By Jim Ulvog, ago