By William Lazonick “The deceptively named Tax Cut and Jobs Act slashes the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent on the theory that companies will use the extra after-tax profits to make productive investments that will create…
AIR ANALYSIS
Comments on economic issues and developments published by AIR researchers and affiliates
If the SEC Measured CEO Pay Packages Properly, They Would Look Even More Outrageous
By William Lazonick and Matt Hopkins “On December 7, Portland, Oregon, passed a law that will impose a surcharge on the local business taxes paid by corporations that operate in the city when the CEO’s compensation is 100 times or…
The economic roots of Trump’s win over Clinton
By Jang-Sup Shin “The revolt of “angry Americans” is now accepted broadly as a major cause of the unexpected victory of Mr Donald Trump in the United States presidential election. So what was it that made Americans so angry?”… [Click…
In search of the great American job
By Bob Abeshouse “Jobs – or jobs and the economy – is at the top of every poll that asks Americans what their top issue is in their voting decision for president and their priority for the federal government.”… [Click…
Three things to know to hold Wells Fargo accountable
By Lynn Parramore “Just about everyone wants to hold Wells Fargo accountable for a scheme in which sales quotas drove employees to set up phony credit card and bank accounts without customer knowledge. A Donald Trump advisor declared the behavior…
Three Things to Know to Hold Wells Fargo Accountable
By Lynn Parramore “Just about everyone wants to hold Wells Fargo accountable for a scheme in which sales quotas drove employees to set up phony credit card and bank accounts without customer knowledge. A Donald Trump advisor declared the behavior “stupid” and…
Corporate Executives Are Making Way More Money Than Anybody Reports
By William Lazonick and Matt Hopkins “On its website, the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the United States, has a page called Executive Paywatch that is meant to demonstrate just how much corporate executives’ pay dwarfs the compensation of…
European Ruling Highlights Apple’s Corrupted Business Model
By William Lazonick “The European Commission’s decision to serve Apple with a 13 billion euro tax bill represents a step forward in compelling multinational companies to pay the taxes that they owe in the countries in which they do business. The Commission…
How MBA Programs Drive Inequality
By Lynn Parramore “Over the last several decades, American business executives have made decisions that have exacerbated the inequality that chokes prosperity for the country. They have misallocated resources and they have awarded themselves mind-boggling compensation packages while workers have…
What we learn about inequality from Carl Icahn’s $2 billion Apple “no brainer”
By William Lazonick, Matt Hopkins and Ken Jacobson “In August 2013, Carl Icahn, among the most prominent “activist shareholders” in the United States, announced that he had purchased 27,125,441 shares of the publicly traded stock of Apple Inc.* By the…