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Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity
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Product Description
In this important book, William J. Baumol, Robert E. Litan, and Carl J. Schramm contend that the answers to these questions lie within capitalist economies, though many observers make the mistake of believing that “capitalism” is of a single kind. Writing in an accessible style, the authors dispel that myth, documenting four different varieties of capitalism, some “Good” and some “Bad” for growth. The authors identify the conditions that characterize Good Capitalism—the right blend of entrepreneurial and established firms, which can vary among countries—as well as the features of Bad Capitalism. They examine how countries catching up to the United States can move faster toward the economic frontier, while laying out the need for the United States itself to stick to and reinforce the recipe for growth that has enabled it to be the leading economic force in the world. This pathbreaking book is a must read for anyone who cares about global growth and how to ensure America’s economic future.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #14498 in Books
- Published on: 2007-05-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 336 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
"In our lifetimes, humans passed a remarkable milestone. Most people now live in a capitalist economy. This is not, however, the end of history. As the authors of this path breaking book show, there are several distinctly different types of capitalism and it takes a mixture of two of these types to get all the economic, social, and political benefits that capitalism affords."-Paul M. Romer, STANCO 25 Professor of Economics in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University (Paul M. Romer )
"Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism tells us that capitalism comes in different flavors, and some of those flavors taste very much better than others. One of these forms of capitalism, entrepreneurial capitalism, is a special treat. It leads to growth and prosperity. The other forms are to be avoided; they lead to stagnation. This new view of the wealth of nations offers a guide to economic policy in all countries, from richest to poorest. This is a daring book with big, bold, important ideas."-George Akerlof, University of California, Berkeley, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 (George Akerlof )
About the Author
William J. Baumol is Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and academic director of the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Stern School of Business, New York University, and senior economist and professor emeritus at Princeton University. Robert E. Litan is vice president for research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Carl J. Schramm is president and chief executive officer of the Kauffman Foundation and a Batten Fellow at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.
Customer Reviews
Nothing new
This book has nothing new to say about growth and development, something one rarely expects on books written by Baumol, who writes well. The reason is that the authors are not serious development economists, and therefore cannot be expected to know the literature well, let alone contribute anything new.
The idea on varieties of capitalism is hardly new, as seen in many "models" of development (e.g. German model, Japanese model, Chinese model, State capitalism, Evans' dependent development model), all of which involve wage labor, the distinctive characteristic of capitalism. Sadly, work on innovation has not gone much beyond Schumpeter since he introduced his ideas in the 1900s. Of course, there is old Marx and Engels on how innovations will tear down Chinese walls, in Communist Manifesto.
Lastly, don't be fooled by institutional economics, most of which is common sense. For instance, the idea that institutions should shape incentives is as old as the hills.
Better View of Capitalism
Good Capitalism Bad Capitalism is an excellent book which provided the beginner economic student with an open and informative view of capitalism.
The body of the book presented the reader with a view of capitalism, which enabled one to better understand what is needed to succeed in the American economy today.
I would highly recommned this book to anyone interested in learning more about capitalism and economics.
Good, Not Bad
This book makes a persuasive argument why "entrepreneurial" capitalism yields faster growth than "big-company" capitalism. For the true believers, it doesn't contribute much to the debate, but if you haven't read a textbook on the economics of growth, it provides a concise summary of the many factors affecting growth.
The core of the book argues that Europe and Japan focused on big-company capitalism after WWII as a logical way to rebuild their war-torn economies and as a result, this form of capital still dominates these economies. It also postulates that cultures can likely be changed over the medium term (ten-ish years, perhaps). This leaves unaddressed the question why then haven't European and Japanese cultures evolved into faster growing "entrepreneurial" capitalism as the US appears to have over the last 15 years. (Prior to that, all three economies were growing at similar growth rates; if anything the US was growing slightly slower as the other economies caught up.)
I suspect the reasons are threefold. First, IT opened up a target rich investment environment. Second, both Europe and Japan face high costs to redeploy workers from old sectors of the economy to new growing sectors. The opportunity cost of leaving resources employed suboptimally (and the productive thinkers who guide them) significantly holds back these economies. Third, more equal income distribution substantially reduces risk taking as the propensity to save and invest grows significantly with income. The first dollars of savings are used primarily for housing (really a consumer good), then safe (big-company) financial investments (to stockpile for retirement) and lastly to underwrite entrepreneurial risk. As a result, the real cost of redistribution is its toll on risk-taking. By and large, only the very rich can afford to underwrite/finance the latter. These factors are given short shift by the book.
In fact, the book argues for more equal distribution while ignoring the very different but critically important causes of unequal distribution - economically misguided oligarchs who misappropriate it vs. successful entrepreneurs who rightly earn it. The book devotes all of 2 pages to taxation.
(My guess is that there are also positive feedback loops at work culturally where success causes others to desire success which in turn leads to a culture that embraces (business) success rather than shunning/criticizing it. And where critical masses of creative cutting-edge thinkers yield real synergies.)
In my opinion then, the book comes up short. It identifies the fact that entrepreneurial capitalism is desirable; but its prescriptions for how to achieve and sustain it are not very profound. Only a comparison to Europe and Japan that reveals why these cultures haven't evolved toward higher growth, like the US, can reveal the truth. Most of the prescriptions, such as protecting intellectual property, enforcing anti-trust laws, reigning in unmeritorious litigation, etc. are largely identical between the 3 societies and hardly "ground breaking."
