The Future of Capitalism: How Today's Economic Forces Shape Tomorrow's World

Rating:
Summary: Pourly Written and Conceived
Review: "The Future of Capitalism" is pourly written. Thurow drags a weak metaphor throughout the whole book. His arguments are strong at face value, but anyone with any deep understanding of history and economics can only laugh at them. I do not recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Economist
Review: I enjoyed the book although I cannot claim to have fully grasped everything he mentions. There are some profound implications regarding the future that Mr. Thurow makes. I believe that some of these transcend the theme of the book and are present realities in the world. For example, I think we will have to deal with the present growing selfishness that exists in the world today-- on a societal and personal level. So overall, a good book to help us understand our present condition and the issues of the future.

Rating:
Summary: Be wary of an author scorned.
Review: It is so sad how wrong someone can be proven over and over again and still, he/she is rewarded, called a genius and is allowed to teach our youth. Here is a quote from the author: "Can economic command significantly... accelerate the growth process? The remarkable performance of the Soviet Union suggests that it can... Today the Soviet Union is a country whose economic achievements bear comparison with those of the United States." This was in 1989, just shortly before the Societ Union collapsed. Unfortunately, being this wrong in economics gives one awards and allows you to teach college students while being described a genius. Sad. Mr. Thurow may be a 'genius', but geniuses can be wrong too.

Rating:
Summary: a lucid explanation of the forces shaping world ecomomies
Review: It's rare to find a book which is so insightful. As people and politicians around the world are reeling and reacting to the dramatic economic changes happening around them, Thurow is the scholarly observer who explains to us so clearly why these changes are taking place. The author deepens our understanding of events by providing the historical context and presents us with our future dilemnas and challenges. Such as the widening gap between rich and poor.This book will be a light and demystifier to your economic world view. As far as economics go, this book is straight talk, captivating and excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Very Insightful
Review: Lester Thurow's "Future of Capitalism" is a VERY interesting book on globalization, and it is SO much more insightful than that silly "Lexus and Olive Tree." It does a great job of explaining the history and roles of the international / supranational organizations like WTO, World Bank, etc. Thurow is a highly respected liberal economist and he has a way of describing the "third industrial revolution" in a way that even old school economists can understand: It ain't about controlling or allocating resources anymore -- it's all about brainpower.

Rating:
Summary: Very Insightful
Review: Lester Thurow's "Future of Capitalism" is a VERY interesting book on globalization, and it is SO much more insightful than that silly "Lexus and Olive Tree." It does a great job of explaining the history and roles of the international / supranational organizations like WTO, World Bank, etc. Thurow is a highly respected liberal economist and he has a way of describing the "third industrial revolution" in a way that even old school economists can understand: It ain't about controlling or allocating resources anymore -- it's all about brainpower.

Rating:
Summary: Ruthless and objective
Review: Mr. Thurow has explained, in a neoliberal way, at least, the problems ahead; capitalism had worked, and will continue to work; that is not the point; the point is SPEED, because all developed countries are, in one way or another, slowing down, and it does not seems to be a fast method to "jumpstart" them again, because all the "glory" of consumption has reached a limit, and such limit appears unbreakable unless some mayor measures are taken; unfortunately, in the political short-term sense, these measures are not quite popular, but they will work in some way in the mid and long terms. Contradictions in the system COULD be very dangerous, as the author pointed out. His main critic is that we know what we have to do is more than just GDP's and consumption, but nobody wants to take any risks.

Rating:
Summary: One of the morden classics
Review: This book can be considered as one of the morden classics. I receommend this book to anyone. Sure there are some "factual mistakes" and most people can find arguments that they don't agree with. Recommendations for United States such as better education for the "bottom 2/3 of population", more R&D spending, better training, more national saving are something that everyone can agree upon. In fact it is exactly the same conclusions that were drawn in Michael Ports' <Competitive Advantage of Nations>. Yes on a scholarly level, Ports's book may be better. But personally I find Thurow's book more entertaining and a much more interetsing read. (I guess I am not a serious scholar, but how many of us are?) This book is targeted for the general public and thus cannot be too scholarly.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This is a good book, although Thurow has no interest to hide the fact that he is totally pro-liberalism. Except for an absurd attack to old people in Chapter 5 (blaming them for all deficits in the country )the book has good comments and good research, being written in the "catastrophic" style.

Rating:
Summary: Packed With Knowledge!
Review: This is a particularly important book for two types of people to read: those who believe economic instability and inequality will lead capitalism to implode (they're wrong); and those who believe the economic engine of capitalism is running just fine, especially in the United States, and simply needs to be left alone by meddling do-gooders, thank you (they are wrong too). Neither view is realistic. Lester C. Thurow is quite well suited to explain why. He is practically a brand name on national television, known for making more sense of the economy than anyone could possibly expect from a dean at MIT. Although Thurow wrote this book in 1996, the trade deficit, the skewed distribution of revenue and the disparity between rich and poor continue to demonstrate the validity of his conclusion that fewer and fewer can get more and more for only so long. We highly recommend his insightful analysis, wishing only that Thurow proposed deeper solutions for the problems he so ably diagnosed.