The above title is a portion of the title of an excellent book written in 2007 by Baumol, Litan, and Schramm. They distinguish four different types of capitalism. The posting below focuses solely on two types: that based on competitive market forces and that based on close relationships between large businesses and politicians. Inspiration for … More Good Capitalism/Bad Capitalism
On Wednesday, I addressed the Noon Hour Philosophers audience on why the Fox Valley needs to change how health care markets work here and indicated several potential reform initiatives. The audience of roughly 85 people heard an update on the talk I gave at Lawrence in October. Below I provide an overview of the talk. … More Fox Valley Health Care Transformation Initiative
The Fox Valley HC Presentation 2.1 highlighted three key observations: Observation 1: Medical costs in the Fox Valley are unsustainable and unaffordable for many residents. Observation 2: Local healthcare systems lack transparency and are unaccountable. In our opinion, unelected “elites” serve their institutions rather the community at large. Observation 3: Local health care system and delivery … More Presentation on Fox Valley Health Care
In his August 5th column in the Appleton Post-Crescent, Christian Schneider argued that voters, similar to politicians, are “willing to say anything to realize their ambitions” and, in particular “to be in charge.” Schneider’s observation suggests that they believe that “might makes right.” Yet the fundamental purpose of democracy is to ensure that the people’s … More Does Might Make Right?
On October 16th, at 7 PM in the Wriston Auditorium at Lawrence University, I will present the Fox Valley Health Care Transformation Initiative which seeks to transform the organization, delivery, and financing of the medical systems in the Fox Valley to achieve the Triple Aim of lower cost, better health, and improved patient experience for the … More Appleton…We Have a Health Care Problem
On September 12, 2018, I presented my thoughts on tariffs and trade to the Golden K Kiwanis Club of Appleton. The following link provides the slides for my presentation: Tariffs and Trade
On June 3, 2018, the Appleton Post-Crescent published the below guest column. The hard-copy edition does not contain either the graphics or hyperlinks provided here. President Trump views trade deficits in goods (imports greater than exports) as bad for the US and claims policy should be directed at reducing the total of $811 billion excess … More Trade Deficits: A Poor Focus for Public Policy
In a March 13, 2018 article in JAMA (2018;319(10):1024-1039), Papanicolas, Woskie, and Jha (PWJ) provide an in-depth description of “Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High-Income Countries.” Through detailed comparisons of demographics, insurance system characteristics, workforce composition, service and pharmaceutical use, and specific indicators of access and health outcomes, the authors conclude … More Physician Workforce Composition Matters in Explaining Health Care Spending Differences From Those of Other High Income Countries
The Appleton Post-Crescent has invited me to be a guest columnist. This means that I can submit a column roughly every three months. My first contribution was published online Friday, March 9th and appears below. Nonprofit health care organizations, such as ThedaCare and Ascension, exist to serve their local communities. Their nonprofit status gives them … More To Improve the Health of the Community
In this blog posting, I make the argument that using tariffs to reduce trade deficits and increase domestic economic well-being will be counterproductive. Furthermore, the claims made by the President (and his Commerce Secretary) to support tariffs related to steel and aluminum imports are based on false premises. In a previous posting, I defined mercantilism … More Make America Mercantilist Again: 6 False Premises That Underpin New US Tariff Policy
No Con Economics 