“Trailer of Globalization” by Piotr Mamnaimie We live in an “age of anger”, to borrow the title of a recent book by Pankaj Mishra – an India-born public intellectual well connected in the U.S. and the U.K. – which sets the tone for this posting. Take Trump (you can have
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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Dennis Howlett writes that a properly designed and fair tax system can reduce inequality both by ensuring support for the people with the least, and ensuring that the people capable of contributing the most actually do so: We need to tackle inequality
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Josh Bivens notes that international trade deals have been structured to maximize the cost of globalization for the workers excluded from the bargaining table. And Jon Queally points out that a massive majority of Americans see power disproportionately hoarded by the rich at
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Neoliberalism restructures work and pensions
On today’s show, two sociologists talk about aspects of neoliberal restructuring. First, Nicole Aschoff, sociologist, author of The New Prophets of Capital and until very recently managing editor of Jacobin magazine speaks with me about the auto industry, Trump and why globalization shouldn’t be solely blamed for the destruction of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Neil Irwin writes that many progressive policies – including child care and income tax credits – serve the goal of facilitating economic participation far better than their right-wing “supply side” counterparts. – Ann Pettifor examines the future of globalization, and warns that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Katha Pollitt reviews Matthew Desmond’s Evicted, and identifies the problem that profiteers have a vested interest in perpetuating poverty: What if the dominant discourse on poverty is just wrong? What if the problem isn’t that poor people have bad morals – that they’re
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Lawrence Mishel and Heidi Shierholz write that we shouldn’t let governments and businesses off the hook for regressive policy choices by blaming technology. And Ben Tarnoff points out that any effects on the distribution of income and wealth can be dealt with through
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Lawrence Mishel and Heidi Shierholz write that we shouldn’t let governments and businesses off the hook for regressive policy choices by blaming technology. And Ben Tarnoff points out that any effects on the distribution of income and wealth can be dealt with through
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Repeating history—the new need for unionization
For all Donald Trump’s failings, and they are profound and many, he deserves credit for one thing. He acknowledged the anger and despair of those Americans in the Rust Belt states and elsewhere who have seen stable, well-paid manufacturing jobs disappear in the millions. In their place are often low-paid,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Repeating history—the new need for unionization
For all Donald Trump’s failings, and they are profound and many, he deserves credit for one thing. He acknowledged the anger and despair of those Americans in the Rust Belt states and elsewhere who have seen stable, well-paid manufacturing jobs disappear in the millions. In their place are often low-paid,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: World’s eight richest people have same wealth as poorest 50%
Photo by Jorge Royan The world’s eight richest billionaires control the same wealth between them as the poorest half of the globe’s population, according to a charity warning of an ever-increasing and dangerous concentration of wealth. In a report published to coincide with the start of the week-long World Economic
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Dean Baker discusses some of the myths about the effects of corporate globalization – with particular attention to how our current trade and immigration structures are designed to provide easy profits for capital at the expense of labour around the world. And Jason
Continue readingKersplebedeb | Kersplebedeb: Notes on Trump (Bromma Dec. 2016)
1. The normality of white supremacy Since Trump’s election, I keep hearing that we shouldn’t “normalize” him or his agenda. I believe that’s looking through the wrong end of the telescope. There’s nothing as “normal” in the U.S. as white supremacy. Sometimes it’s disguised by tokenism and obscured by “multiculturalism.”
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Eshe Nelson interviews Richard Baldwin about the future of globalization and the possibility that the worst disruptions to workers are just beginning: What happens to the chart on global income distribution during this phase of globalization? It keeps going down. It will be
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: What’s left of neoliberal globalization?
Photo by Josh Edelson/Getty From a Canadian vantage point, it is easy to lose track of the sheer volume of discontent, if not outright resistance, around the world to the structures and policies of neoliberal globalization. People everywhere are chaffing at the limits imposed on their capacities to democratically shape
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Tell Trudeau to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership!
Photo by Lorie Shaull Winnipeg, Nov. 23, 2016 – Winnipeggers attended a townhall meeting at the University of Winnipeg about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade agreement that threatens our jobs, our environment and our sovereignty. Hosted by the Canadian Labour Congress, the panel included President Hassan Yussuff, Canadian Labour
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Stop Trump copy-cats: Listen to workers
I presented at the Standing Committee on International Trade’s incredibly brief review of the implementing legislation for CETA. With me were representatives from the Business Council of Canada, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Cattleman’s Association. There are only two more meetings scheduled, and there are no IP experts,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: The Building Storm Against the TPP
Image by Julianita Qué Tal The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the one of the most recent of the neoliberal trade agreements being proposed. The final proposal was signed off in February 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand by 12 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru,
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Denying Globalization’s Downside Won’t Stop Right-Wing Populism
I was somewhat surprised to see Stephen Poloz recently urging economists to do more work identifying and disseminating research on the supposed benefits of free trade. That’s slightly beyond his job description (perhaps more fitting with his last position as head of Export Development Canada). But like economic leaders elsewhere
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Unpacking CETA
Photo by Mehr Demokratie The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), like other looming mega-treaties, is a comprehensive vehicle for expanding the scope of transnational investment by rolling back the capacity of governments to regulate in the public interest. The attack on democratic governance is not restricted to the
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