Author: NLM Correspondent

The rise of corporate market power is receiving increasing attention in research and public discourse—with good reason. Increased interest in market power is motivated by some mega trends or puzzles. The “productivity puzzle”: productivity growth has slowed even as new technologies, led by the digital revolution, have boomed. The “investment puzzle”: investment has slowed even as the cost of borrowing has been low and corporate profits high. Sluggish productivity has contributed to slower economic growth. Income and wealth inequalities have risen, sharply in some countries. Income has shifted from labour to capital, and the distribution of both labour and capital…

By Dr Tom Odhiambo The sea, its vastness, mystery, often calm, at times violent, its promise of the unknown, its seduction of the wise and unwise souls in search of adventure, its offering of the somewhere as opposed to the here, its endless tales, can all make the pursuit of life’s meaning a fruitless search. Indeed, one only needs to visit any seaside town – make that any city lying by a big river or lake – to encounter the unending myths and fables that an expanse of water evokes in human beings. It is no wonder that to go…

BY Nic Sephton-Poultney Millennials have been dubbed the most ‘impatient generation’ in the workplace, with over 90 percent wanting ‘rapid career progression’. Almost 70 percent of employers believe that this level of ambition and desire is the leading cause of conflict between generations – with a third of Generation X (34 percent) and a quarter of Baby Boomers (24 percent) and Millennials (24 percent) agreeing with this. The findings come from a Robert Walters whitepaper, which surveyed over 2,000 respondents to find out what it takes to retain millennial professionals. According to the survey, almost 60 percent of workers have…

The late Nelson Mandela, for all his glory as a freedom icon, was a stranger to his children. He lost his son Makgatho Lewanika Mandela to AIDS and separated with his wife, Winnie, two years after leaving prison in 1992 before finally divorcing in 1996. Mandela later married Graca Machel, the wife to Mozambique’s founding President Samora Machel in 1998.  Wafula Buke shares some of Mandela’s burdens. But unlike Madiba and others who chose to bear their pain privately, Buke is quite open about what it cost him to fight a despotic regime.  On his Facebook timeline in April, he…

By Ivailo Izvorski Longer and more productive lives should be celebrated as an achievement of mankind rather than considered a problem. Longevity, however, does require personal and societal adjustments. In many advanced and developing economies, individuals are already adjusting to aging by working longer and upgrading their skills throughout their lifetimes. Companies are also making a change by accommodating older workers and redefining their roles. Will governments raise their game and make the necessary adjustments to support healthier and productive aging? The global population is aging. The UN projects that the median age of the world’s population will increase from…

By Tioko Ekiru Emmanuel The 2010 Constitution embodies a trenchant commitment and promise to free the minds and harness the potential of all citizens, especially those muzzled by the authoritarian regimes of yesteryear. That said, we must acknowledge that our Constitution is reactionary and remedial in character. While acknowledging problems and contemplating solutions, it relies on those who implement it for success. This commentary interrogates the Supreme Court’s ruling in ‘Methodist Church of Kenya V Mohamed Fungicha and others’ on whether sponsored schools can bar Muslim students from wearing hijab while in school.It argues that far from addressing the substantive…

by Joshua Nyawa The Supreme Court of the United States stated, in ‘New York Times v Sullivan’, held that the circulation of information and ideas should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open. No politician should be permitted to silence his or her critics. It is a matter of the most fundamental importance that such criticism should be free, open, robust and even unrestrained. This is so because of the inordinate power and influence which is wielded by politicians, and the seductive influence which these attributes have upon corrupt men and women. The most appalling crimes have been committed by politicians because…

By Antony Mutunga Over the past five years, Africa has grown its footprint in the digital grid. The information technology sector in the continent has grown, with smart applications, fibre optic technology and innovation hubs taking centre stage. As a result, the African economy is gradually shifting from its reliance on natural resources to human capital and innovation. With the continent thus focused on technological development as one of the biggest requirements needed for its desired transformation, a technological eco-system is emerging, growing from country to country, to promote regional trends in terms of investment, modernisation and business. As the…

By Per-Ola Karlsson, Martha Turner, and Peter Gassmann It’s no secret that life at the top of the corporate world is becoming more challenging. Last year, nearly 17.5 percent of the CEOs of the world’s largest 2,500 companies left their posts — representing the highest rate of departures that PwC’s Strategy& CEO Success study has tallied in its existence. In 2000, a CEO could expect to remain in office for eight or more years, on average. Over the last decade, however, average CEO tenure has been only five years. And yet a substantial subset of CEOs manages to run the…

By Joshua P. Meltzer Artificial intelligence is shaking up the world economy. It is already affecting how economies grow, produce jobs, and trade internationally. McKinsey estimates that AI could add around 16 percent, or $13 trillion, to global output by 2030. According to an analysis by Paul Daugherty and Mark Purdy of the impact of AI on 12 developed economies, including the United States, AI could double annual economic growth in these countries by 2035. While the US leads on AI development, other governments are racing ahead with their own AI investment and development strategies. For instance, China, the UK,…