Economics is not a discipline that comes to correct answers - economies are too complex. Adam Davidson More Quotes by Adam Davidson More Quotes From Adam Davidson When you see a merger between two giants in a declining industry, it can look like the financial version of a couple having a baby to save a marriage. Adam Davidson look you marriage baby Happiness statistics may be most valuable in smaller, local discussions. Understanding how different sorts of programs affect the well-being of citizens would be enormously helpful to a mayor choosing between building a new bridge or offering a tax cut. Adam Davidson bridge new building happiness The American dream always meant that anybody willing to put in a hard day's work could make a decent living. That's just not true anymore for people without at least some post-high school education. Adam Davidson day education work people A majority of Americans support Social Security and Medicare, a progressive tax system and a government that regulates business in the public interest, but most share deep skepticism about the government's ability to do all this well. Adam Davidson deep support government business In poor countries, the rich and powerful crush the poor and powerless. Adam Davidson rich crush poor powerful If an alien with an accounting degree touched down in America, it might conclude that we're a weird cult that spends 11 months living frugally and four crazy weeks buying tons of stuff we don't need. It wouldn't be entirely wrong, either. Adam Davidson alien weird down crazy Happiness quantification sounds a bit wishy-washy, sure, and through a series of carefully administered surveys across the globe, economists and psychologists have certainly confronted a fair number of sticky issues around how to measure, and even define, happiness. Adam Davidson measure how through happiness Perhaps concentrated wealth will inspire a nation of innovative problem-solvers. But if the view of many economists is right - that it sometimes discourages innovation - then we should worry. Adam Davidson nation view innovation sometimes The America that I think most Americans would want, most economists on the right or left would want, is one in which a smart, ambitious, hardworking person without a huge amount of resources has a pretty good shot, in the end, of beating out a less smart, less ambitious, less hardworking rich person. Adam Davidson good think rich smart If large numbers of people believe they have no shot at a better life in the future, they will work less hard and generate fewer new ideas and businesses. The economy, as a whole, will be poorer. Adam Davidson future work life people When you cover the economy as a reporter, there's one part of the job that is always easy: finding economists who disagree. Adam Davidson finding job you easy What there is no dispute about is whether or not China is a currency manipulator. They are a currency manipulator. They actively intervene every single day to keep the value of their currency less than it would be against the dollar than if it floated freely. We think. Even China barely disputes that. Adam Davidson value day think single Hating Wall Street is an American tradition that dates back even to the days when Thomas Jefferson cursed that money lover Alexander Hamilton. And for centuries, the complaints about it have largely stayed the same: 'It does nothing! It creates chaos! It's a parasite that sucks hardworking Americans dry!' Adam Davidson street chaos tradition money We tend in this country to talk about Democrats and Republicans, and think there's little group over there called Independents that's maybe 2%. That is not the case, and it has not been the case for most of modern American history. Adam Davidson think group country history Holiday binge-buying has deep roots in American culture: department stores have been associating turkey gluttony with its spending equivalent since they began sponsoring Thanksgiving Day parades in the early 20th century. Adam Davidson day holiday thanksgiving culture Most rich countries have reported increases in happiness as they become richer. Adam Davidson become most rich happiness Much of what we consider the American way of life is rooted in the period of remarkably broad, shared economic growth, from around 1900 to about 1978. Adam Davidson economic-growth growth life way The so-called skills gap is really a gap in education, and that affects all of us. Adam Davidson really us skills education One of the great political and economic challenges of our time is figuring out the balance between wealth that benefits society and wealth that distorts. Adam Davidson great society challenges time We can fight over what the taxation levels should be, but the tax system should be very, very simple and not distortionary. Adam Davidson tax over fight simple
