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Chance Favors the Concentration of More Wealth in Fewer Hands
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2011-09-08 15:26:16, 조회 : 2,529 |
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Chance Favors the Concentration of More Wealth in Fewer Hands
Wealth accumulation might be due to a number of factors: hard work, intelligence, lack of ethics, or all of the above. Wealth concentration, on the other hand, is determined primarily by chance and the effect of compounding returns, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One.
The distribution of wealth is far more uneven than popular economic models would suggest, report researchers Joseph E. Fargione, Clarence Lehman, and Stephen Polasky. Given a situation where \"all individuals have equal talent and begin with the same amount of capital,\" an increasingly smaller number of investors accumulated an ever larger share of wealth at the expense of the other investors.
The researchers also found that larger concentrations of wealth decrease diversity within the economy, which decreases the amount of additional wealth that economy is able to create.
A separate report from the liberal Institute for Policy Studies found that, of the 100 highest paid American CEOs of 2010, 22 made more in compensation and benefits than their companies paid in taxes.
Sources: “Entrepreneurs, Chance, and the Deterministic Concentration of Wealth” by Joseph E. Fargione, Clarence Lehman, and Stephen Polasky, PLoS One, PubMed Central.
“Executive Excess 2011: The Massive CEO Rewards for Tax Dodging” by Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati, Institute for Policy Studies.
Assessing Climate Engineering Technologies
A majority of climate scientists in the United States support a federal program to explore methods for engineering the Earth's climate (otherwise known as geoengineering). These technologies aim to protect against the worst effects of manmade climate change, according to a new technology assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
\"Climate engineering technologies are not now an option for addressing global climate change, given our assessment of their maturity, potential effectiveness, cost factors, and potential consequences,\" the report concluded. The majority of the experts who participated in the assessment agreed that, if geoengineering is going to be effective in the next two decades, research should begin now, because so little is known about how to change the Earth's climate, much less how to do so with minimal risk.
Among the futurists contributing to the assessment were Jamais Cascio and World Future Society board member Kenneth Hunter.
Source: “Climate Engineering: Technical Status, Future Directions, and Potential Responses” (GAO-11-71, July 28, 2011)
WFS Fall Events You Won't Want to Miss
The World Future Society and THE FUTURIST magazine are pleased to announce several upcoming noteworthy events for future-interested folks in the Mid-Atlantic region. Visit the WFS Fall Events page to register and learn more and register. http://www.wfs.org/content/wfs-fall-events.
2011 State of the Future The 15th Anniversary Edition Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The world is in a race between implementing ever-increasing ways to improve the human condition and the seemingly ever-increasing complexity and scale of global problems. So, how are we doing in this race? What’s the score so far? What are some strategies to improve our prospects? Jerome C. Glenn, author of the State of the Future series will address these and other topics. Register
How to Put Your Brain on the Internet (and Would You Want to?) A Presentation by Michael Chorost, Author, World Wide Mind World Future Society-Washington, D.C. Chapter Thursday, September 15, 2011
Author Michael Chorost will show emerging technologies that allow brain activity to be read and altered in unprecedented detail. He'll outline what a future \"World Wide Mind\" could look like and ask: Would people want to be part of it? Register
THE FUTURIST Magazine Presents: The Immortal Life? An Evening With Aubrey de Grey Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Dr. de Grey will explain: (1) why therapies that can add 30 healthy years to the remaining life span of the typical 60-year-old may well arrive within the next few decades, and (2) why those who benefit from such therapies will very probably continue to benefit from progressively improved therapies indefinitely and will thus avoid debilitation or death from age-related causes at any age. Register
Succession Planning Increases—and Decreases—among U.S. Companies
The number of U.S. organizations with formal succession plans has declined over the past five years, according to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). These processes aim to ensure that top employees have the necessary preparation to advance into key positions.
Only 23% of companies were likely to have a formal succession plan in 2011, compared with 29% in 2006, reports SHRM. On the other hand, informal succession planning rose from 29% of organizations in 2006 to 38% in 2011. The study notes that, if the staff size of the organization is too small, then those in charge may not see the need to formalize such a plan, although there may be an informal plan in place.
Whether formal or informal, such long-term planning benefits many organizations. Identifying and developing employees to take on more leadership can help make transitions such as expansion, restructuring, and the retirement of top-level executives more efficient. Experts believe that internal recruitment and development plans should be regularly updated rather than remain fixed or stagnant.
“The number one reason organizations are not developing formal succession planning is because more immediate projects are taking precedence—not surprising given that organizations are focusing their energies on dealing with an uncertain economic outlook,” says Evren Esen, manager of the Survey Research Center at SHRM. “Still, succession planning has significant strategic implications for organizations and should not be put on the back burner, especially during times of economic volatility.”
Esen believes that planning would likely increase if human resource departments were more involved. According to the report, human resources departments are in charge of succession plans approximately 40% of the time.
Source: Society for Human Resource Management
Prescription Drug Abuse Is on the Rise in the United States
According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the percentage of opiate-related admissions at substance abuse treatment centers that were related to painkillers (as opposed to other opiates like heroin) increased from 8% in 1999 to 33% in 2009. Heroin use mostly accounted for the other opiate-related admissions.
Close to 2 million individuals over 12 were treated for substance abuse in the U.S. during 2009. Alcohol abuse accounted for the majority (42%), but opiates finished second, at 21%. Marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines rounded out the top five, which together account for more than 95% of all admissions.
The report further points out that close to half of those admitted for alcoholism also abused other substances. One positive trend seems to have emerged, however: The report notes that treatment admissions for cocaine use dropped during this period (from 14% to 9%).
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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What’s Hot @WFS.ORG (Public)
A selection of articles, special reports, and other future-focused material on our Web site that you might have missed. Members may sign in to read and comment. Not a member? Join now at http://www.wfs.org/renew.
The Futurist Interviews Matthias Mordi, Empowering Africans Through the Internet
Internet connectivity is spreading across Africa, and it is giving rise to new waves of civic activism, according to the nonprofit Accender Africa. Nigeria alone saw the numbers of Internet connections triple between 2000 and 2008—to 24 million, up from 8 million—according to the organization. Read more
Five Principles of Futuring as Applied History
By Stephen M. Millett
A historian and futurist offers a theoretical framework for developing more credible and useful forecasts. The goal is to help individuals and organizations improve long-term foresight and decision making. Read more
News and Events for the Futurist Community
•Winners of The 2011 Possible Futures Film Contest Announced
•Upcoming WFS Chapter Meetings: Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, Nevada
•Soon to be Published: The Great Growing Up by John Renesch
•Free Business Foresight E-Publication from Alireza Hejazi
•Upcoming WFS Chapter Meeting in Vancouver, B.C.
•Read more
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