Patrimonial capitalism's legacy is that many people see reform as a euphemism for corruption and self-dealing.
James SurowieckiSince the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland wants to remain a part of Great Britain, and since Ireland itself has shown little interest in reunification, the IRA's prospects for success through political channels have always been limited.
James SurowieckiThe oil market is especially sensitive even to a hint of expansion or contraction in supply.
James SurowieckiIn practice, downsizing is too often about cutting your work force while keeping your business the same, and doing so not by investments in productivity-enhancing technology, but by making people pull 80-hour weeks and bringing in temps to fill the gap.
James SurowieckiIntellectual-property rules are clearly necessary to spur innovation: if every invention could be stolen, or every new drug immediately copied, few people would invest in innovation. But too much protection can strangle competition and can limit what economists call 'incremental innovation' - innovations that build, in some way, on others.
James Surowiecki