Roosevelt Releases Agenda to End Short-Termism
November 6, 2015
By Roosevelt Institute
Corporate short-termism—also known as “quarterly capitalism”—has become a key issue in the 2016 election. It’s also one of the major economic trends that has been increasing inequality and weakening economic growth for the last 35 years. So what is it, how has it transformed American business, and what can we do about it?
In our Agenda to End Short-Termism, a follow-up to Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy, we examine how the focus on short time horizons by corporate managers and financial markets has come at the cost of innovation and investment in the long-term health of companies and the middle class:
In “Understanding Short-Termism: Questions and Consequences,” Roosevelt Institute Fellow J.W. Mason responds to those who claim short-termism isn’t a real problem, answering 12 common questions about increased shareholder payouts and their broader economic effects.
“Ending Short-Termism: An Investment Agenda for Growth,” by Roosevelt Institute Fellows Mike Konczal and J.W. Mason with Amanda Page-Hoongrajok, lays out a comprehensive agenda to address this challenge, including direct limits on payouts, a long-term rebalancing of stakeholder power, and a new role for government.
Read our two-page messaging memo on the Agenda to End Short-Termism here.