#389 Robert Atkinson - Big Is Beautiful: Debunking the Myth of Small Business
RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 8th 2020.
Dr. Robert Atkinson is a Canadian-American economist. He is president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., that promotes policies based on innovation economics. He was previously Vice President of the Progressive Policy Institute. He’s the author of four books, including Big Is Beautiful: Debunking the Myth of Small Business.
In this episode, we discuss Big is Beautiful. We begin with the history of how the idea of small business being good, and big business bad, developed. Then we talk about the impact that small businesses really have in developing countries. We tackle income inequality, government subsidies for new businesses, and how regulations are weaker for small businesses. We discuss if small businesses really contribute that much to job creation, why have new startups rates been falling, and the situation in Europe in general, and Portugal in particular. Finally, we address how people feel about big business, supporting local production, and technological unemployment. We end up with what would a Big Business is Beautiful campaign would look like.
Time Links:
The idea that big business is bad, and small business good
Small business in developing countries
Outsource companies
Income inequality
Helping new firms get off the ground
Regulations for small businesses
More about where “small business is beautiful” comes from
Small business and job creation
Why have new startups rates been falling?
The situation in Portugal
Is this a partisan issue?
A sense of lost community in big business
Local production
Technological unemployment
A Big is Beautiful campaign
Follow Dr. Atkinson’s work!
Follow Dr. Atkinson’s work:
ITIF page: https://bit.ly/3k3kTYJ
Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3i9NeMp
Big is Beautiful: https://amzn.to/3387M1x
Twitter handle: @RobAtkinsonITIF