By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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Understanding the CEO Pay Debate: A Primer on America's Ongoing C-Suite Conversation (Roosevelt Institute)
In their primer, Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Holmberg and Campus Network member Michael Umbrecht suggest a shift away from shareholder primacy to reduce incentives for high CEO pay. The primer also lays out the full history of executive pay policy, from the New Deal to the present day.
Because of Occupy Wall Street and more recently the attention on Thomas Piketty’s bestseller, Capital in the 21st Century, progressives are increasingly focused on America’s rising economic inequality. Yet while progressives recognize high CEO pay as a potent symbol of the enormous concentration of wealth in this country at the expense of working people, what is less understood is that the dramatic escalation of CEO pay actually contributes to economic stagnation.
In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that sky-high CEO pay is not just a moral issue: it is a drag on the economy. However, for those interested in the issue but new to it, the causes can be mystifying. Researchers from several academic fields have wri
One-Third of Top Websites Restrict Customers’ Right to Sue (NYT)
Jeremy B. Merrill reports on major consumer websites that restrict customers' ability to take legal action, even when the companies engage in harmful activity like conspiring to fix hotel room prices.
Majority of Bank Risk Managers Are Worried About the Wealth Gap (WSJ)
Nick Timiraos looks at a new study on bank risk managers' concerns regarding the health of our financial system. Only 14 percent think inequality doesn't pose any threat at all.
This City Came Up With a Simple Solution to Homelessness: Housing (The Nation)
Kara Dansky profiles Salt Lake City's shift to a Housing First model, which recognizes that long-term housing for the homeless is cheaper than standard interventions like shelters and emergency services.
The Terrifying Idea That the Economy Might Stay Stuck Forever Just Got More Terrifying (WaPo)
Matt O'Brien lays out a new study's model for secular stagnation -- i.e., a potentially never-ending economic slump -- in the U.S., and explains what will be needed to break the cycle.
Fed’s Loan Scrutiny Leaves Banks Passing on Buyout Deals (Bloomberg News)
Christine Idzelis and Alex Sherman report that the big banks' decision to pass on high-scrutiny deals is opening up opportunities for their smaller competitors.
New on Next New Deal
The Phenomenology of Google's Self-Driving Cars
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal says that driving requires some unconscious and reflexive learning that artificial intelligence just can't duplicate, and that will create an obstacle for driverless cars.