MixedBloomberg...Upheaval speeds through several case studies of countries that have suffered traumatic events ... These episodes can run refreshingly counter to conventional wisdom ... historical chapters are followed by several long advice chapters. Although he may be right, there’s nothing new about his admonitions to fix gender inequality in Japan, the decay of democracy in the U.S., or climate change in the world. Perhaps most interesting to longtime readers will be Diamond’s own tale of personal crisis ... If only nations could be as agile.
Allison Schrager
PositiveBloombergProstitution seems like a long stretch from the risks most of us deal with, such as outliving our retirement funds, but Schrager inventively extracts five life lessons from her interviews with practitioners of the so-called oldest profession, as well as others who’ve chosen unusual career paths ... Chief executive officers and Wall Street players could learn a thing or two from the paparazzi, prostitutes, and other outre characters who inhabit An Economist Walks Into a Brothel.
Dambisa Moyo
MixedBloombergShe’s right that a stagnant economy is dangerous to civil liberty ... As is often the case, though, Moyo’s solutions aren’t as persuasive as her diagnosis. If you think about it, even devoted democrats draw the line somewhere on ballot box access: The right to vote is generally denied to prisoners, children, noncitizens, and people judged mentally incompetent. But imagine the envy and anger that would be unleashed if voting power were based on profession or education ... In the end, Moyo comes across as a well-meaning meritocrat. Democracy has its flaws, all right, but elitism isn’t the way to cure them.
