Subject: What’s sapping workers’ productivity?
From: "Bloomberg View" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 May 2017 05:18:12 -0400 (EDT)

.footer .iOSLink a {       color: #666666 !important;       text-decoration: none !important;     }      @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) {       body {         padding: 10px !important;       }       .one-column p,       .one-column li {         font-size: 19px !important;         line-height: 29px !important;       }     }A daily digest of opinions and analysisWhy Workers Stopped Becoming More EfficientProductivity: It’s the engine of economic growth, and in recent years — for somewhat mysterious reasons — it’s been growing at a crawl. That could have dire consequences for countries accustomed to mass prosperity. As Noah Smith writes: “There might be a way for a modern society to function without economic growth, but we don’t want to have to be the generation that discovers what that is.”That’s why, over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing a series of articles about how to boost productivity growth. Clive Crook starts by considering productivity as a moral issue, since stagnating growth makes society smaller, meaner and more destructive. Meanwhile, Tyler Cowen argues that human nature is part of the problem, but that solutions lurk in surprising places (including online communities and Stoic philosophy). And if you’re looking for more practical advice, Smith suggests a few policy-oriented fixes.Read these and more to come in Bloomberg’s special report, Reviving Productivity.Italy Is Europe’s Next Big HeadacheAnd talk about a problem with productivity: Italy’s has actually declined over the past 15 years. After the French election passes, Ferdinando Giugliano suggests you direct your attention to the storm that’s brewing across the Alps. Italy is struggling with double-digit unemployment, an ongoing banking crisis, and a rising populist movement, and the great centrist hope Matteo Renzi isn’t exactly setting voters’ hearts ablaze.Let a Thousand Political Taxonomies BloomAre you a populist or an elite? Cosmopolitan or tribalist? Front-row kid or back-row kid? As the old right-left distinction crumbles into dust, new social categories are emerging to fill the void, and Justin Fox is on hand to sort them all out.Why People Care About the Estate Tax (Hint: It’s Not That It Matters)Libertarian Megan McArdle believes there’s a good case for keeping the estate tax (“While you’re alive, I’ll defend your property rights vigorously. Once you’ve died, you lose my support”), but partisans, predictably, have focused on it for all the wrong reasons.Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. Learn more.Ritholtz’s ReadsJohn Paulson’s fall from hedge fund stardom (NYT/DealBook)U.S. tech’s giant money machine is on full display this week (Bloomberg)High ground is becoming hot property as the sea level rises (Scientific American)(Read Barry Ritholtz’s full daily news roundup here.)Bloomberg GadflyCould Coach be the next LVMH?Merck’s year may hinge on the next eight daysU.S. Steel: caught between Detroit and the District(Read more from BV’s sister site for fast business commentary.)Bloomberg L.P. ● 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022Web ● Facebook ● TwitterFeedback ● Unsubscribe

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