Tuesday, March 19, 2002

The storming of the accountants 21st January 2002 " . . . a worldwide movement against the tyranny of numbers. . . . Called 'post-autistic economics' - 'autistic' is intended to imply an obsessive preoccupation with numbers . . . protesting against the dogmatic teaching of neoclassical economics and the 'uncontrolled use' of mathematics as 'an end in itself'. . . . [a study] backing many of the rebels' points and recommending sweeping changes in the way economics is taught in French universities. The movement has had a worldwide impact . . . " " . . . we have been plunged into . . . 'the audit culture . . . a gigantic experiment in public management'. We can see the results everywhere. . . . measurements covering almost every area of professional life or government, all in the name of openness, accountability and democracy." " . . . the problem is that what really needs measuring is not countable. 'So-called efficiency . . . takes the place of effectiveness, quantity of quality. . . . these numerical indicators are about management at a distance, and they will always miss the point . . . " " . . . the McKinsey slogan that 'everything can be measured and what gets measured gets managed.' . . . people are now expected to do what the targets tell them, rather than what is actually necessary." ... [more] 1:38:40 PM  Google It!  comment  []

U.S. trade deficit surges after recent drop " America's trade deficit surged to $28.5 billion in January as the nation's foreign oil bill surged and U.S. exports fell to the lowest level in more than three years . . . The deficit in January was 15.4 percent higher than December's imbalance of $24.7 billion as the country started the new year with the same old trade problems . . . For all of 2001, the deficit showed an improvement for the first time in six years, narrowing by 7.5 percent to $347.5 billion. That was still the second-highest deficit in history." "Economists are warning that this year the improvements could stall as a recovering U.S. economy draws in imports at a faster clip while U.S. exports are held back by economic weakness in many of America's trading partners. Additionally, American manufacturers are demanding that the Bush administration switch its policy on the dollar, contending that an overvalued U.S. currency is seriously crimping their ability to export." ... [more] 8:38:22 AM  Google It!  comment  []