Category Archives: Free markets and their discontents

Wikipedia: The Overlooked Monopoly

Low-quality anonymous “editors” combined with a Google tie-up turned an interesting experiment into an overlooked but destructive monopoly.

“They Left Us Starving”: How the Fashion Industry Abandoned Its Workers

Yves here. Many associate sweatshops in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with “fast fashion,” aka the close-to-disposable frocks made by the likes of H&M. As this article explains, the use of ultra-cheap labor extends much further up the fashion food food chain. And these poorly-paid workers get thrown to the curb when orders fall off. By […]

The Pain of Service Crapification

How Covid is extending the reach of crapification.

The Merits of Fire Sales and Bailouts in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fire sales are not as detrimental as executives desperate to save their jobs would have you believe. That means bailouts may be overdone.

Stunning Brick & Mortar Meltdown, Manhattan Style: The Collapse of Retail Rents Before & Now During the Pandemic

Store rents had already plunged, amid a surge in vacancies. Then in the spring, the market froze; when it thawed, rents dropped to 10-year lows.

The Economic Impact of Ancient Colonisation

How ancient colonizers left an enduring economic footprint, even at the local level.

Whoops, Dander Way Back Up: What’s With the Vaccines?

A detailed discussion around the world of some of the many ways officials and executives are impeding the districution of vaccines.

Coming Attraction: IPCC’s Upcoming Major Climate Assessment

Another set of blockbuster IPCC reports are in the works. What to expect?

Michael Hudson: Looking Forward to 2021

Micheal Hudson gives a sobering 2021 forecast.

2021: Year of Living Dangerously?

Does the West recognize how many emerging economies are dangerously close to breaking points? Can they control their bad neoliberal reflexes?

Google Rigged Its Own Advertising Auction In Favor of Facebook for a Price (and What That Means for the So-Called Free Market)

Google fiddles with the weights and measures of commerce.