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I think American companies need to go back to focusing on producing good products at good prices instead of singlemindedly pursing short term shareholder value.

I think American companies need to go back to focusing on producing good products at good prices instead of singlemindedly pursing short term shareholder value. A lot of capability is lost that way.

practicemaths 2y ago
Where is the incentive to do otherwise? Whom is going to fund multiple executive and legislative candidates to get this done? Not trying to dismiss your point outright, just while it's a good notion, I for one do not see a practical way of changing towards that on a large national level across multiple industries.
- mensetmanusman 2y ago
  It’s an interesting form of economic populism: https://www.marketplace.org/2024/07/16/what-are-j-d-vances-economic-views/ https://www.marketplace.org/2024/07/16/what-are-j-d-vances-e... It is gaining support due to the destruction that has fallen on on our communities based on the current financialization model of our economy.
  - practicemaths 2y ago
    How does this address the issues of incentives, or rather lack thereof?
    - mensetmanusman 2y ago
      It addresses the issue of incentives by trying to create a counter balance to one sided economic forces. It appears as if using tariffs to equalize trade when there is a major surplus imbalance is one of those levers.
      - practicemaths 2y ago
        How though? If people are maximizing return with the system the way it is, where is the incentive to actually change this on a large national scale? Who's going to fund this change? A few with populist rhetoric getting power is not achieving what you want.
toomuchtodo 2y ago
I have more faith in Chinese will and engineering culture than American C suites, MBAs, and financialization. I wish this was not the case, but the inmates are running the asylum. The US should not stop trying, but it's going to be a hot minute before execs across industries are flushed out into retirement (1.8M people 55+ age out every year in the US, roughly half of which are in the labor force participation rate) and new blood steps into those positions. Culture comes from the top.
- cscurmudgeon 2y ago
  I have more faith in the US gov or WTO being toothless in addressing an unfair playground > Chinese-backed companies have distinct advantages over competitors in the U.S., such as heavily subsidized supply chains for raw polysilicon and unfinished solar modules, as well as low-cost government financing
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - spamizbad 2y ago
    That's true but the US industrial (and resource) policy does the same thing just in different areas. For example, we subsidize fossil fuels to a much larger degree than China does, but we're all OK with that because we rely on them.
    - cscurmudgeon 2y ago
      The difference is internal subsidies are legal and export subsidies are not. That is the legal difference.
deepfriedchokes 2y ago
If we start making things in America again we need to go back to sharing the profits more with workers so they can afford to purchase domestic products. As it stands now Americans can barely afford Chinese goods.

I think American companies need to go back to focusing on producing good products at good prices instead of singlemindedly pursing short term shareholder value. A lot of capability is lost that way.

practicemaths 2y ago

Where is the incentive to do otherwise? Whom is going to fund multiple executive and legislative candidates to get this done? Not trying to dismiss your point outright, just while it's a good notion, I for one do not see a practical way of changing towards that on a large national level across multiple industries.

mensetmanusman 2y ago
It’s an interesting form of economic populism: https://www.marketplace.org/2024/07/16/what-are-j-d-vances-economic-views/ https://www.marketplace.org/2024/07/16/what-are-j-d-vances-e... It is gaining support due to the destruction that has fallen on on our communities based on the current financialization model of our economy.
- practicemaths 2y ago
  How does this address the issues of incentives, or rather lack thereof?
  - mensetmanusman 2y ago
    It addresses the issue of incentives by trying to create a counter balance to one sided economic forces. It appears as if using tariffs to equalize trade when there is a major surplus imbalance is one of those levers.
    - practicemaths 2y ago
      How though? If people are maximizing return with the system the way it is, where is the incentive to actually change this on a large national scale? Who's going to fund this change? A few with populist rhetoric getting power is not achieving what you want.

toomuchtodo 2y ago

I have more faith in Chinese will and engineering culture than American C suites, MBAs, and financialization. I wish this was not the case, but the inmates are running the asylum. The US should not stop trying, but it's going to be a hot minute before execs across industries are flushed out into retirement (1.8M people 55+ age out every year in the US, roughly half of which are in the labor force participation rate) and new blood steps into those positions. Culture comes from the top.

cscurmudgeon 2y ago
I have more faith in the US gov or WTO being toothless in addressing an unfair playground > Chinese-backed companies have distinct advantages over competitors in the U.S., such as heavily subsidized supply chains for raw polysilicon and unfinished solar modules, as well as low-cost government financing
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- spamizbad 2y ago
  That's true but the US industrial (and resource) policy does the same thing just in different areas. For example, we subsidize fossil fuels to a much larger degree than China does, but we're all OK with that because we rely on them.
  - cscurmudgeon 2y ago
    The difference is internal subsidies are legal and export subsidies are not. That is the legal difference.

deepfriedchokes 2y ago

If we start making things in America again we need to go back to sharing the profits more with workers so they can afford to purchase domestic products. As it stands now Americans can barely afford Chinese goods.