Besides great climates and lovely beaches, California and Greece share a fondness for dysfunctional politics and feckless budgeting.
James SurowieckiMaking loans and fighting poverty are normally two of the least glamorous pursuits around, but put the two together and you have an economic innovation that has become not just popular but downright chic. The innovation - microfinance - involves making small loans to poor entrepreneurs, usually in developing countries.
James SurowieckiA consumer-finance agency is a good thing, but it would do well to teach consumers a simple lesson: if you don't understand the deal you're making, don't make it.
James Surowiecki