On Fridays, we bring you the best thoughts from our blog and around the web. This week’s collection features the Dalai Lama’s new-found respect for capitalism, President Obama’s “war on opportunity” and more.
We “Should Be Expected to Love People,” Says Conservative Leader: In this Huffington Post article, AEI president Arthur Brooks discusses the Dalai Lama’s recent visit, an upcoming event with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and AEI’s unique position in Washington and vision for the future.
AEI is being transformed…to what Brooks calls an organization “in the human welfare business…” Brooks is deliberately carving out a path distinct from that of other conservative think tanks in the nation’s capital… “We’re trying to live according to purpose as opposed to according to products,” Brooks told me. “And if you’re trying to classify organizations with respect to product lines, we should be very confusing.”
Uber Cab Driver: “I Feel Emancipated”: Innovation and creativity are essential drivers of a free market economy, says Joseph Sunde of the Acton Institute. But in cities such as Miami, where cutting-edge businesses like Uber seek to establish a presence, unions and government bureaucrats increasingly side with entrenched stakeholders to oppose this new growth.
This is not the only industry where globalization and interconnectedness have, quite paradoxically, brought services closer to consumers, tightening the grid of human relation and interaction, freeing up producers creators along the way. Unfortunately, it’s also not the only industry where business interests and political insulators continue to collaborate and conspire to resist and interrupt such trends.
The Best of the Dalai Lama’s Visit to AEI: The AEIdeas blog rounds up the best moments from last week’s visit, including the Dalai Lama’s new-found respect for capitalism. For more coverage, check out this Vanity Fair article: “Why Was the Dalai Lama Hanging Out with the Right-Wing American Enterprise Institute?”
Q&A: Peter Greer and Chris Horst on “Mission Drift”: Peter Greer and Chris Horst of HOPE International answer questions concerning their new book, “Mission Drift.”
Mission Drift happens as a result of many small decisions made by staff and leadership. They play a critical role in shaping the organization’s culture and embodying the values of the mission of the institution. All employees have the responsibility of cultivating identity and strengthening the mission of their organizations.
Obama’s War on Opportunity: Marc Thiessen suggests that President Obama’s “opportunity agenda” is in fact a “war on opportunity.” Less government intervention opens the door to increased opportunity and economic growth.
The “opportunity agenda” was supposed to be the signature initiative of President Obama’s second term. But recent data suggest his administration is waging a war on opportunity instead…What the Obama administration does not seem to grasp is that the way to create opportunity is not through government mandates but through economic growth.
