EconAir

  INTRODUCTION   The English East India Company (EIC) was an innovative new type of corporation. It might be a model for how a multinational corporation could survive and prosper in an increasingly chaotic and hostile geopolitical world.   HISTORIC BACKGROUND   The creation of the EIC and its Dutch equivalent (the VOC) were part of the 400 year expansion of European power, trade, and influence. Much  of the rest of the world became colonies, part of imperial empires. By 1600, both England and Holland had a wealthy merchant and shipping class, bankers, lots of capital (wealth) not tied up in land, and risk-takers. These categories overlapped. Both countries had limited monarchies. In England, the king and Parliament were about to begin a long struggle for power. In Holland , the monarch was mostly subservient to Holland's powerful and wealthy merchant class. The East India Company (EIC) was chartered in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I to promote and monopolize English ...

  INTRODUCTION   Japan gets special consideration because it is further along the demographics declining population curve than any other large country. It has the oldest population (highest average age) in the world. It has one of the world's lowest birth rates. Unless there are major changes in healthcare technology, immigration, public policy, and birth rates, most industrialized countries will follow Japan down the path of declining and aging populations, and smaller labor forces. Japan's demographics and immigration have become major political issues. In the July 2025 elections, two right-wing parties made substantial gains against the long-ruling Liberal  Democracy Party (LDP). Two of their main issues were the rapid rise of immigration and the repeal of a 10% consumption tax used to pay for the rising costs of supporting the aged. Both parties appealed to young voters.  The LDP has nominated a candidate for prime minister who also takes a hard line on...

Famous Headline Before You Begin If you don't know the background of this complicated story, you might want to first read a shorter version that introduces some of the key factors explaining the Crash and the Depression. See, Introduction to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Beginning of the Great Depression Before reading this essay, I strongly recommend you see the PBS video on YouTube. Type in Stock Market Crash 1929. Look for US – The Crash of 1929 (PBS), ALLHISTORIES – PLAYLIST.  Documentary broken into 6 parts to show commercials. Great documentary with wonderful photos, videos, and scenes from movies of the 1920s and the crash. Shows what a crazy time this was.  Introduction The usual reasons given for the Great Depression – the stock market crash of 1929 and the later collapse of the banking system – do not tell the whole story. Available economic data (there were no national income accounts in 1929) indicate that a recession had already begun be...