Category: Books

Great Powers press release

BOOK: Great Powers, by Thomas P.M. Barnett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Pub Date: February 5, 2009 

Barnett–who has been described as “the most influential defense intellectual writing these days (The Washington Post)” and “one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time (U.S. News.com)”–presents a remarkable analysis of America and the world in the post-Bush era.  He also offers a visionary grand strategy for how to proceed as we stand poised on the verge of what is arguably the greatest achievement of all time: the peaceful knitting together of a truly integrated global economy and the establishment of a truly centering middle class.  Barnett believes it’s up to America to shape and redefine what comes next.  Now he offers a roadmap to exactly what that is and how we do it.   

Rise of the Creative Class — Creativity and Meta-Ideas

BOOK REVIEW: The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life, by Richard Florida, Copyright 2002.

Creative Class Exchange

Florida classifies occupational categories as consisting of the: Creative Class (30%), Working Class (26.1%), Service Class (43.4%), Agriculture (0.4%).

Reinforces the importance of creativity at all levels in the workplace … “ensuring that the creativity of the many is tapped and that the benefits of the Creative Age are extended to everyone.”

Challenges the Creative Class to take more of a leadership role in addressing three issues: : (1) investing in creativity to ensure long-run economic growth, (2) overcoming the class divide that weakens our social fabric and threaten economic well-being, and (3) building new forms of social cohesion in a world defined by increasing diversity and beset by government fragmentation. 

Quoting Paul Romer: “We do not know what the next major idea about how to support ideas will be. Nor do we know if will emerge. There are, however, two safe predictions. First, the country that takes the lead in the twenty-first century will be the one that implements an innovation that supports the production of commercially relevant ideas in the private sector. Second, the new meta-ideas of this kind will be found. ” pg. 319