Politics, Economics, and Current Events


Recent Politics, Economics, and Current Events Articles

Hack Days: Not Just for Facebookers

By Jessica Stillman |  Feb 3, 2012

As part of Facebook's IPO filing, founder Mark Zuckerberg praised the concept of the "hackathon." Could something similar benefit your company, even if you'r...  Read more


Groundhog Day: This Warm Winter is Killing Businesses

By Eric Markowitz |  Feb 2, 2012

So Punxsutawney Phil says there will be six more weeks of winter. Who cares? This weather has really messed up businesses all around the country.  Read more


The Lowdown on Obama's Small Business Plan

By Kimberly Weisul |  Feb 1, 2012

The president is right that current rules make it very hard for growing businesses to raise money. Will Congress really cooperate to change them?  Read more


Inside Facebook's S-1: What Investors Are Saying

By Eric Markowitz |  Feb 1, 2012

We dug into the IPO filing. Is Facebook really worth $100 billion? What does it mean for capital markets? Is the social network just managing expectations?  Read more


Why TARP Failed Small Business (And How to Fix It)

By Glen Blickenstaff |  Jan 31, 2012

There are other options for reviving the economy, including asking Americans to invest in something similar to war bonds.  Read more


Start-up Powers Obama's Reelection Campaign

By Courtney Rubin |  Jan 31, 2012

Field organizers and volunteers are being issued Jack Dorsey's Square to take credit card payments.  Read more


10 Great Candidates for the Best Job in Government

By Jon Burgstone and Bill Murphy, Jr. |  Jan 27, 2012

Aneesh Chopra, the first-ever CTO for the United States, is stepping down. Here are a few good people who could replace him.  Read more


Sales of Small Businesses Rose in 2011

By Courtney Rubin |  Jan 25, 2012

BizBuySell report reveals that, gradually, it's becoming a good time to be a seller.  Read more


Inc. Data Bank: This Month in Infographics

By Andrew Shafer |  Jan 25, 2012

What's going on with firings, productivity, and business travel? Inc. visualizes the numbers, including how much more beloved small business is that government.  Read more


CEOs' Burning Questions to the President

By Nicole Marie Richardson, Eric Markowitz, Kimberly Weisul and Eric Schurenberg |  Jan 24, 2012

We asked members of the Inc. community what one question they want the president to address in Tuesday night's State of the Union. Here's what they had to say.  Read more


SOPA: Shelved, But Not Dead

By Eric Markowitz |  Jan 23, 2012

The lead sponsors of SOPA and PIPA have put the bills on hold, but the question remains: What happens next?  Read more


Small Businesses Go to Court Against Credit Card Fees

By Constantine von Hoffman |  Jan 20, 2012

Millions of retailers have filed an antitrust suit against big bank credit card companies. The goal? Cutting interchange fees and ending a crushing monopoly.  Read more


What 10,000 Harvard MBAs Think

By Courtney Rubin |  Jan 19, 2012

It's not good news: The U.S. will become less competitive in the next three years, (no) thanks to a broken tax code and an inefficient political system.  Read more


Who's Doing the SOPA Blackout in Style?

By Eric Markowitz |  Jan 18, 2012

Going dark doesn't necessarily mean your brand needs to suffer. Here's a look at some of our favorite SOPA/PIPA "blacked out" protest sites.  Read more


Why the Obama Plan for Cabinet-level SBA Means Nothing

By Constantine von Hoffman |  Jan 18, 2012

Making the SBA chief a member of the Cabinet is the executive branch equivalent of giving an honorary degree or getting an Emmy award: Sounds nice, means not...  Read more


SOPA: Why the Internet Is Closing for Business

By Eric Markowitz |  Jan 17, 2012

Wikipedia, Reddit, and a host of other popular sites are gearing up for a total blackout on January 18 in protest of the controversial anti-piracy legislation.  Read more


A Democrat's Defense of Romney and Private Equity

By Jeff Bussgang |  Jan 15, 2012

This Boston venture capitalist will vote for Obama in November. But he praises Mitt Romney's work at Bain Capital and the private equity industry as a whole.  Read more


How the Euro Crisis Could Be Good For You

By Eric Markowitz |  Jan 13, 2012

Is the economic turmoil overseas a crisis--or an opportunity? Here's a look at a few savvy American companies reaping the benefits of European market instabi...  Read more


Why Hedge Funds Want to Destroy the Economy

By Constantine von Hoffman |  Jan 13, 2012

A Greek default will cause financial chaos around the world. But it happens to be the only way certain hedge funds can get their money back.  Read more


Documenting Life in a Start-up

By Eric Markowitz |  Jan 12, 2012

Ctrl+Alt+Compete, a new documentary that debuts later this year, explores start-up culture through the lens of five entrepreneurs. (And you can watch it for ...  Read more


What Ron Paul Gets Wrong

By Constantine von Hoffman |  Jan 11, 2012

The libertarian from Texas might be a small business favorite, if only he weren't unelectable. The real reason he is, though, might surprise you.  Read more


Why You Can't Count on Economic Recovery

By Constantine von Hoffman |  Jan 11, 2012

Yes, the employment numbers have been very upbeat. But they mask some major problems.  Read more


Inside the Fight Against SOPA

By Nicole Carter |  Jan 10, 2012

How do you fight Hollywood? In the heated debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act, tech start-ups and giants are leveraging their Web dominance to get their m...  Read more


Why the Movie Industry Can't Innovate and the Result is SOPA

By Steve Blank |  Jan 9, 2012

The movie industry has been consistently wrong in its claims that new platforms and channels would be the end of its business. Now it can't innovate, leading...  Read more


3 More Reasons SOPA Ought to Scare You

By Eric Schurenberg |  Jan 9, 2012

Inc.com joins the ranks of companies hoping that Congress doesn't vote to break the Internet by approving SOPA and PIPA. Here's why.  Read more