At Davos, Why Is No One Talking About the Poor?
I first learned about the World Economic Forum at Davos as a greenhorn in college. At the time, I was knee-deep in coursework on economic development, a field that extols the social and economic virtues of tending to the world’s …
Romney’s Tax Returns Show He Paid More in Taxes Than He Owed
In a deep dive into Mitt Romney’s tax returns, it turns out that the 2012 GOP presidential candidate paid about $44,000 more in taxes than he owed.
Curious CapitalistDavos
Are Companies More Powerful Than Countries?
In 2008, after Lehman Brothers fell and the financial crisis and global recession began, the conventional wisdom was that we were entering an era in which government would take back power from business. In fact, just the opposite …
Facebook Could File IPO Documents Next Week: Report
Social networking juggernaut Facebook could file the paperwork for its much-anticipated initial public offering as early as next Wednesday, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. If previous reports are correct, …
The Top 1% Feels An Obligation to Give
Much criticism has been leveled at the 1% lately. But what do they say about themselves? Well, a new study finds that a majority of the wealthiest Americans believe they have a strong responsibility to give back to their community.
Bernanke to Income-Starved Retirees: Tough Luck
If it wasn’t clear already, it is now: securing decent retirement income in a low-yield environment is going to be a problem for a long time. Seniors who have been eking by through temporary measures like drawing down an …
Couldn’t Make Davos This Year? Here Are the 5 Things Everyone’s Talking About
The topics and tropes fall faster than snowflakes here in Davos, where several thousand of the world’s leading business people, politicians and policy makers gather once a year for an annual think-fest. And with literally …
Now There’s Even More Reason to Distrust Online Reviews
The latest sham doesn’t exactly pay customers to write up positive online reviews of products. But it’s more than a little sketchy when a company offers to reimburse people for their purchases if they post a review on Amazon.
Why Manufacturing Can’t Solve The Jobs Problem
Here in snowy Davos, the topic of job creation has been about as popular as the passed canapés and free champagne. Not surprisingly, President Obama’s latest jobs proposals — a combination of taxing outsourcing corporations …
A Physics Professor Asks: Are No-Name Batteries a Better Value Than Major Brands?
Duracell? Energizer? The cheapie packages of AAs at the dollar store? Tired of dumping money blindly on batteries for Wii remote controllers, flashlights, Nerf guns, and the like, a physicist decides it’s time to investigate …
Why Shoppers and Shopping Centers Alike Now Embrace the Dollar Store
At one time, upper- and middle-class shopping centers turned up their noses at dollar stores, assuming that their presence would hurt the image of neighboring retailers, as well as the area as a whole. In pre-recession days, many …