Higher productivity drives increases in wealth, wages, and living standards. AI could be just what we need to solve many of today’s problems — if we manage the gains wisely.

Real progress demands rules built for uncertainty — not for the few innovations dominating today’s tech landscape.

“Progress happens when we choose to make it happen. It happens through choice and effort. And ultimately, to make progress happen, we have to believe in it.”

In nature, business, and life, survival doesn’t belong to the optimized — it belongs to those with a built-in buffer.

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions. Call it “solutionism.”

From tulips to Bitcoin, bubbles have been given a bad rap as destroyers of dreams — but they’re essential for our brightest future. Here’s why.

"Understanding more about monetary policy and the economic regime that you're living under can help ease some of the fundamental uncertainties [that have been] prevalent since COVID, and help you make better decisions in your day-to-day life."

Studying why innovation clusters form can shed light on how to better promote research and growth.

Achieving values and pursuing growth is the real secret to a fulfilled life.

The winners of the remote work boom? Utah, Arizona, and Maine. Here’s what the US’ post-pandemic migration looks like.

Absence makes the heart (and public opinion) grow fonder.

The world needs a moral defense of progress based in humanism and agency.

Misinterpreted data may be distorting Western predictions about the future of China's economy.

What worked before won’t necessarily work this time — and the best leaders will adapt.

China has always been one of the world’s wealthiest nations, but Chinese wealth looks different across the country’s eventful history.

Ice harvesters once made a living from frozen lakes and ponds, but the work was strenuous and dangerous. Then refrigeration changed everything.

Let us share this miracle with mothers in poor countries.

There is a strong case to be made that the China has moved too slowly to reverse the effects of its one-child policy.

Here’s what job interviewers are testing you for, according to economist Tyler Cowen.

Although it’s often described as the Amazon of China, Alibaba has a radically different business model that does not rely on inventory management.

Wealth concentration among elites was common in ancient nations, but the scale on which it took place in Egypt’s 18th Dynasty was unprecedented.

“There’s a sense of crisis today that we did not have in the 1980’s or 90’s” — economist Tyler Cowen on progress in America.

Some analysts predict that Amazon's revenue will double over the next five years.

The media sells bad news, but scientific evidence shows that we are making progress toward a greener planet.

Inequality should be measured in terms of the time it takes for us to earn the money to buy the things we need. And everyone is getting wealthier.

Probably someday.

With economic turmoil looming, everyone wants a way to keep their funds safe. But is that really possible?

Historical analyses reveal that crises almost always yield surprising benefits.

The future of American jobs isn't only services and tech.