The only surprise about the economic crisis of 2008 was that it came as a surprise to so many.
Joseph StiglitzAny society has to delegate the responsibility to maintain a certain kind of order. Enforcing regulations, making sure people stop at stoplights. We canโt function as a society without rules and regulations, and the enforcement mechanism of those rules and regulations.
Joseph StiglitzWorld War II was really unusual, because America was in the Great Depression before. So the war did help the US economy to get securely out of this decline. This time, the war [in Iraq] is bad for the economy in both the short and long run. We could have spent trillions in research or education instead. This would have led to future productivity increases.
Joseph StiglitzI went to public schools, and while Gary was, like most American cities, racially segregated, it was at least socially integrated - a cross section of children from families of all walks of life.
Joseph Stiglitz