Economy and Markets

May 14, 2006

Remembering Galbraith: Paying for goods that have a zero price, on the margin

Investing everything in private goods and starving public assets has not made us any happier.

May 2, 2006

John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith was a gifted economist who was not afraid to challenge the basic assumptions of the profession. That's what made him a great economist.

December 31, 2005

Open Source Celebration

Open-source celebration: ringing in the new year as a commons.

December 19, 2005

Oligopoly, Inc. 2005: New Report on Concentration in Corporate Power

Oligopoly rising: the concentration of corporate wealth and power rises to new, alarming levels.

December 5, 2005

Unpaid Work as a Form of Social Wealth

Unpaid work in the home and the community – often done by women – is an immense form of social wealth overlooked by economists.

November 4, 2005

FCC Commissioner Copps laments telecom mergers

Even as the internet opens up the possibilities for greater communications access, telecommunications companies are trying to lock down innovations like skype. Even the FCC chief is concerned about the implications of telecom mergers.

October 31, 2005

Identity, Reputation and Social Currency

Public reputation is another element of the commons, and the internet has found a creative way to maintain it in the cyber age.

October 3, 2005

Herman Daly on the Commonwealth of Nature and Knowledge

The father of eco-economics wonders why information is considered scarce and natural resources limitless. Just the opposite is true.

September 28, 2005

Commons-side Economics

Orthodox economics is myopic when it comes to seeing the commons. Supply-side delusion needs to be replaced by commons-side economics.

September 25, 2005

From Divine Right to Birthrights

Monopoly games as a model for society: everyone starts at the same spot and gains $200 for passing Go. We need laws by which commons trump capital.