Introduction LO: China is well-known for its trade-off between (its promise of) economic progress and (the lack of individual) freedom (eg, AEA-2018, HBR-2015). However, that trade-off has been deteriorating ever since its disastrous zero-Covid policy. Unemployment issues have been worsening due to China’s political targeting of its entrepreneurs (eg, disappearance,...
Recently, I had a discussion about a geographical distance. She asked if distance is an obstacle. I replied that distance is not necessarily an obstacle. Obstacles come in many shapes and forms (eg, distance, judging, negativity, pessimism). There’s a famous Henry Ford quote that gives the right angle for this topic: “Obstacles are those frightful things you see...
Recently, a Kenyan acquaintance posted the following: "Alone is not always loneliness. Alone is getting to find myself. [..]" In my view, she meant solitude. Hence, I replied by stating: "Solitude and loneliness are two very different concepts, despite being alone in both." She agreed. Several days later, I noticed a quote by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), a...
"Despite the fastest inflation in decades, consumer spending has held up relatively well so far. But this may not last, and that’s where elasticity comes in. The price elasticity of demand, to use its full name, measures how sensitive buyers are to price changes." (NYT, 19 August 2022) Why has consumer spending held up so long? I think, feel and...
Recently, Belgian newspaper De Standaard published an article stating that a feeling of impoverishment pushes voters towards extremist sides. Hence, more inequality is responsible for more polarization in our societies. Also see my April 12 blog: Politics, a belief in (in)equality. For some time, I have noticed an increasing radicalization in the beliefs of...
In 2018, I wrote my blog The 7 stages of Liberalism. Increasingly, I'm wondering if stage 7 was wrong and should have been on the rise of illiberal liberalism. Several articles deal with this phenomenon: Hoover-2014, OUP-2015, Politico-2017, Heritage-2017, Economist-2018 and T&F Online-2022. The key criterion of illiberal liberalism is the immediate desire to...
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