Posts Tagged by free-market capitalism
Free-Market Capitalism and Energy Policy: What’s the Proper Role of Government?
| November 20, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
The proper role of government in our lives is the biggest single issue confronting politically involved Americans today. Want to rile up an audience about healthcare, for instance? Just tell them either:
a) The government with its bloated bureaucracies, inefficiencies, and corrupt catering to special interests is taking over healthcare and doling it out, at your expense, to people who haven’t earned it, or
b) Healthcare should continue to be run by profit-motivated corporations whose goal is to minimize costs by denying medical coverage (especially to those who need it most) — and government has no business interfering in this cruel and inhuman process.
The same polar arguments could be made for financial regulation, labor and unemployment, economic stimulus, and almost every other major area of debate we face as a society.
I bring this up because Read More
The BusinessClimate 2010 Show, Hosted by The Carbon War Room
| September 14, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
I wish I could attend the BusinessClimate 2010 show hosted by the Carbon War Room in NY City, but I just don’t think I can fit it into my schedule.
The ideas are so intriguing: essentially, use of free-market capitalism – rather than government mandates – to shift the focus of business into directions that are sustainable. In addition to the organization’s founder and perhaps the world’s most famous entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, there will be a ton of incredible speakers on this subject, including the former president of Costa Rica, Jose Maria Figueres.
In my numerous talks with CEO Jigar Shah on this subject, including the interview I conducted for my book, I’m always intrigued with the creative ways he proposes to kick-start the race towards wealth creation in sustainability through the use of “Expectations Driving Investment Yielding Innovation.”
I’m confident that anyone attending the conference will walk away with some pretty heavy ideas.
Free-market Capitalism as a Driver of Energy Policy
| March 31, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
I notice – with no particular level of surprise – that many of the comments we get on business blog posts suggest fairly radical ideas in terms of social reform. I am by no means an expert on this, though I do try to keep an open mind to ideas other than garden-variety capitalism.
In fact, I often ask myself: What would have happened in Cuba over the past 50 years if the US hadn’t done everything in its power to ensure the most miserable lives possible for those people? Are there valid alternatives to our way of life?
But, looking at these ideas in a cold and pragmatic light, it seems that these alternative social and economic construct only replace one set of horrors with another – in many case, horrors that are far greater. If market conditions do not set levels of production and consumption of goods and services, who or what does? Can anyone reasonably believe that a centralized government will do a better job than free-market capitalism?
