“Predatory value extraction is causing sagging productivity and growth problems at many US companies that are trying to compete globally, Dr. William Lazonick, co-founder and president of The Academic-Industry Research Network, told Real Vision’s The Interview. He said sustainable prosperity…
AIR ANALYSIS
Comments on economic issues and developments published by AIR researchers and affiliates
Why Stock Buybacks Are Dangerous for the Economy
By William Lazonick, Mustafa Erdem Sakinç and Matt Hopkins “Even as the United States continues to experience its longest economic expansion since World War II, concern is growing that soaring corporate debt will make the economy susceptible to a contraction that could get out…
Prescription drug costs in Americans are sky-high. And yes, Big Pharma greed is to blame
“As debates around drug prices heat up on the presidential campaign trail, the House of Representatives voted in December to pass Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug bill, which contains key provisions allowing the government to negotiate lower prices on at least 50 drugs each year.”……
Stock Buybacks Threaten Economic Growth
By Michelle Celarier “Soon after economist William Lazonick became a fellow at Harvard Business School in 1984, the world he had studied for decades began to radically change. Instead of plowing their profits back into their businesses, companies were being…
Did Boeing prioritize profits over safety? (Interview with William Lazonick)
By Warren Olney “Since March some 387 Boeing 737 Max jets have been grounded by regulators and airlines with no end in sight. Boeing profits have tanked. Last month the company recorded its biggest ever quarterly loss and deliveries are at…
After Over Three Decades, Rebel Economist Breaks Through to Washington. Here’s How He Did It.
By Lynn Parramore “The idea that businesses are run to maximize profits for shareholders is just plain wrong, says William Lazonick Ever heard that a corporation’s sole duty is to maximize value for shareholders? In the go-go ‘80s, business schools,…
The Economist Who Put Stock Buybacks in Washington’s Crosshairs
In 1984, an economics professor named William Lazonick joined the faculty at the Harvard Business School, just in time to witness a shift in economic thought. Lazonick, who is seventy-four, had grown up in Toronto and earned a Ph.D. in…
Boeing 737 MAX 8: A Story of Profits Over Safety?
BySam Seder Interview of William Lazonick by Sam Seder… [Click HERE to watch the interview]
Make Passengers Safer? Boeing Just Made Shareholders Richer.
Make Passengers Safer? Boeing Just Made Shareholders Richer. nd none more so than their own executives
Have stock buybacks gone too far?
By William Lazonick and segment guest (Jeremy Siegel) “Fueled by the lower corporate tax rate, share buybacks among S&P 500 companies shot to a fourth consecutive record in the last quarter of 2018, according to Standard & Poor’s. What’s more…