News and Views from Political Author Steven Hill
by Steven Hill, Die Zeit, May 25, 2016
(German language version, “Vorwärts, Genossen”)
One of the puzzles of the post-global recession is the ongoing electoral weakness of many center-left political parties. One would think that with so many voters worried about their future, they would naturally gravitate toward parties viewed as more worker-friendly and growth-oriented (via government stimulus rather than austerity).…
Lecture by Steven Hill, Hasso Plattner Institut, May 12, 2016
Keynote by Steven Hill, i4j Summit, “Innovation for Jobs”
Hasso Plattner Institut, Potsdam, Germany, link here…
by Steven Hill, American Prospect, May 12, 2016
Proposals abound to overhaul the Social Security system via means-testing, raising the retirement age, or price adjustments. But the real solution to a fairer, more stable retirement system is Social Security expansion.
(Excerpt from the author’s new book, “Expand Social Security Now: How to Ensure Americans Get the Retirement They Deserve,” published by Beacon Press)
Increasing numbers of workers now find themselves on shaky ground, turned into freelancers, temps, contractors, and part timers.…
Berlin Prize lecture by Holtzbrinck fellow Steven Hill, American Academy in Berlin, May 10, 2016
“The Future of Work: How the ‘Uber Economy’ and Runaway Capitalism Are Threatening Workers’ Livelihoods”
American Academy in Berlin, May 10, 2016…
By Steven Hill, Handelsblatt, April 21, 2016
(German language PDF version, “Deutschlands falscher Neid aufs Silicon Valley,” online version here)
As I travel around Germany, from the giant messe of Hannover and Frankfurt to the digital incubators of Berlin, I hear a near-constant refrain: “Germany needs more startup companies, more innovation, more ‘disruption’ — where are the German Googles, Apple and Facebook?”…
By Steven Hill, Salon, March 27, 2016
The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo recently wrote an oddly lamenting piece about how “the Uber model, it turns out, doesn’t translate.” Manjoo describes how so many of the “Uber-of-X” companies that have sprung up as part of the so-called sharing economy have become just another way to deliver more expensively priced conveniences to those with enough money to pay.…
By Steven Hill, Sierra, March 14, 2016
Sarah and Jorge both love Uber. They dig everything about it—how quickly it arrives, especially compared to San Francisco’s crummy taxi service, and the efficiency of the app, which allows them to track the driver’s arrival. The service gives them a sense of independence without owning a vehicle, and it’s hugely popular among their demographic of urban, progressive-leaning, pro-environmental hipsters.…
Lecture by Steven Hill, Telefonica Basecamp, March 2, 2016
Digital Masterminds: Steven Hill on the Sharing Economy
Telefónica Basecamp, Berlin, March 2, 2016…
By Steven Hill, Handelsblatt, February 26, 2016
(German language PDF version, “Fluch und Segen,” online version here (paywall)
Many Germans I have spoken to are puzzled by the US presidential election, and the controversial rhetoric used by some leading candidates. It is hard to believe that these candidates are running for the most powerful elected office on the planet.…
By Steven Hill, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, February 10, 2016
For decades following the New Deal, most workers had a single employer who provided their safety net. But now tens of millions of workers are working in a high-tech economy for multiple businesses, either as contractors, freelancers, temps, or regularly employed part-timers.…
By Steven Hill, Observer, February 9, 2016
The liability and regulatory issues involved in letting a 3000 pound death machine steer itself with no human at the controls remain huge
Elon Musk’s Tesla recently became the latest big shot company to enter the self-driving car sweepstakes. Mr. Musk recently announced the hiring of software architecture veteran Jim Keller, who previously had played key roles at Apple and AMD, to lead its Autopilot Engineering team.…
By Steven Hill, Tagesspiegel, February 5, 2016
German version, Gute Jobs – Durch Das Internet Bedroht
What is the future of work, and the future of jobs? For the last several decades, the workers of Germany, the US and Europe have been the most productive and wealthiest in the world.…
By Steven Hill, C-SPAN, January 2016
Steven Hill talks with New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter about his book Raw Deal: How the “Uber Economy” and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers, in which he examines the shift in the U.S. workforce with the rise of companies such as Uber and Airbnb and the impact of automation, robots and artificial intelligence on the labor market.…
By Steven Hill, World Post/Huffington Post, January 21, 2016
Fifty-one years ago, Bob Dylan’s song “Maggie’s Farm,” a brilliant satire that compared the job prospects of that generation’s youth to that of working on a dystopian plantation, was released on Dylan’s album “Bringing It All Back Home.” The owners, Maggie, her ma, pa and brother — a real close-knit unit, like a small “sharing economy” startup — were quite eager to put you to work, but they were a bit stingy on the compensation side for your menial, TaskRabbit-type work.…
By Steven Hill, Salon, January 16, 2016
Did Lyft just admit it’s a taxi company after all? Ridesharing companies pretend to be tech firms. They’re not.
Recently Lyft and General Motors made a grand announcement, with all the hoopla meant to convey that this announcement is a really big deal: ta-daaaa, a joint partnership in which Lyft will develop self-driving cars with GM.…
By Steven Hill, Washington Monthly, January/February 2016
The safety net for American workers and their families, which in the post-World War II era has been a cornerstone of the middle class, is under assault. Though the economy is growing, for most Americans it feels more like a recession than a boom.…
By Steven Hill, Observer, December 15, 2015
A leading Democrat was telling fellow Democrats to reject union and collective bargaining rights for Uber drivers
It was another Battle in Seattle, and this time the good guys won. Like so many previous battles, the theater of conflict was over the conditions and terms of economic justice.…
By Steven Hill, Town Hall, December 7, 2015
Video of Steven Hill’s talk at Town Hall in Seattle based on his book Raw Deal: How the ‘Uber Economy’ and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers. The author provides a sharp critique of the direction of both the traditional economy and its increasingly close marriage with the troubling sharing/gig economy.…
By Steven Hill, Seattle Times, December 5, 2015
The U.S. workforce, which has been one of the most productive and wealthiest in the world, is undergoing an alarming transformation. A significant factor in the decline of the quality of jobs has been employers’ increasing reliance on “non-regular” employees — a growing army of contractors, freelancers, temps and part-timers.…
By Steven Hill, Salon, December 3, 2015
Hotel taxes and zoning laws shouldn’t be disrupted. If Airbnb stopped releasing selective data, they wouldn’t be
A new article in the New York Times blares the headline that many have been waiting for: “Airbnb Releases Trove of New York City Home-Sharing Data.”…
Graduate Center at CUNY, November 19, 2015
Steven Hill, author of Raw Deal: How the “Uber Economy” and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers, joins New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter for a timely discussion. Introduced by Janet Gornick, director of the Luxembourg Income Study Center.…
KQED Forum with Michael Krasny, November 19, 2015
In his new book “Raw Deal”, author Steven Hill takes on Airbnb, as well as Uber, Lyft and TaskRabbit, arguing for greater regulations on their operations and safety-net protections for workers. Listen to the interview on NPR-affiliate KQED in San Francisco.…
Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2015
By Josh Zumbrun
With the flick of fingers across a phone, people can now summon a driver, rent an apartment for the night or hire a handyman. The companies that make this possible–behind, say, the ride-hailing app Uber or the short-term rental app Airbnb–are some of the most valuable startups in the U.S.…
By Steven Hill, Observer, November 2, 2015
Uber may not be as invincible as it seems.
The behemoth ride-sharing service Uber has jolted city after city like a mighty earthquake. It has gained a momentum that seems almost unstoppable. Some say it portends the future of the U.S. economy. At the least, taxi companies and their antiquated medallion system are being crushed.…
By Steven Hill, Salon, October 31, 2015
The “sharing” economy sounds groovy: politically neutral, anti-consumerist. Wait until it comes for your job
A significant factor in the decline of the quality of jobs in the United States has been employers’ increasing reliance on “non-regular” employees — a growing army of freelancers, temps, contractors, part-timers, day laborers, micro-entrepreneurs, gig-preneurs, solo-preneurs, contingent labor, perma-lancers and perma-temps.…