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A new era: our elections now will be decided by hackers and leaked data
by Steven Hill, Guardian, November 16, 2016
WikiLeaks and a network of anonymous hackers have become a major influence – but are they enhancing our democracy or undermining it?
A new and disturbing factor emerged during this presidential election, and one that may change elections forever: democracies are now at the mercy of hacking and surveillance technology – and those who control it.…
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EU Observer: The Wallonian mouse that roared
By Steven Hill, EU Observer, October 31, 2016
On Sunday the European Union and Canada finally signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or Ceta, following an 11th hour resolution between Wallonia and the European Union.
The pressure on tiny Wallonia and its politicians was immense, as it was being blamed for scuppering a trade agreement that was seven years in the making, and turning the EU into a laughing stock before its Canadian partners and the world.…
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‘Company Town’: A Film About How Tech Steamrolled San Francisco
By Steven Hill, Huffington Post, October 13, 2016
Many hipsters and “new tech” enthusiasts are enraptured by the so-called “sharing economy” and its leading companies, such as Airbnb, Uber and Lyft. If you really believe that these companies have anything to do with “sharing,” then you really need to see Company Town.…
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Die Zeit: “Apple and Donald Trump: two sides of a very strange coin”
By Steven Hill, Die Zeit, October 5, 2016
(published in German, here is the link to the German version)
Many people from across the political spectrum are shaking their heads over the recent Apple tax scandal. But it is only the latest example of the corporate malfeasance and misconduct that have flourished as politicians and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic either failed to do their jobs or actively contributed to a tainted corporate culture.…
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CNBC’s Squawk Box: Red flag on gig economy gyp (video)
Interview by Andrew Ross Sorkin, CNBC, October 4, 2016
Author Steven Hill is interviewed by host Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Here’s the link to the broadcast.…
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Q&A with Wash Post: “Is Uber the next big thing that goes kaput? This guy thinks so”
Washington Post, September 26
Interview by Fredrick Kunkle
Steven Hill thinks Uber has shaken up the taxi industry — or Big Taxi, as Hill calls it – in a way that’s been beneficial to many consumers.
And that’s about the nicest thing Hill has to say about the San Francisco-based ride-sharing company.…
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Friedrich Ebert Foundation policy paper: “The California Challenge: How (not) to regulate disruptive business models”
By Steven Hill, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, September 15, 2016
Policy paper written by Steven Hill for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany
Executive Summary
* The latest trend from Silicon Valley is known as the »sharing economy,« sometimes referred to as the »gig economy,« »on-demand,« »peer-to-peer« or »collaborative consumption« economy.…
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Stern (Germany) Interview on Airbnb: “The idea behind it is good, but…”
Interview by Steffen Gassel, Stern, September 1, 2016
This interview with author Steven Hill is published in German, “Die idee dahinter ist gut, aber…” (PDF version). The interview appeared in Stern, the second most popular publication in Germany (750,000 circulation)…
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Can Workers Get a Fair Deal in the Gig Economy?
By Steven Hill, Yes! Magazine, August 23, 2016
The whole sector won’t enjoy broader success until its companies learn how to combine flexible work with better treatment
More and more businesses are exploiting what is known as the “1099 worker loophole”—hiring workers as “independent contractors” instead of as regularly employed workers.…
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LA Times: We should expand Social Security. Here’s how.
By Steven Hill, Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2016
The U.S. has entered an anxious era in which fewer workers have a single employer or a regular workplace. Instead they have various employers and multiple part-time jobs and “gigs,” with these businesses not required to provide healthcare, make Social Security contributions or even offer compensation for workplace injuries.…
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NY Daily News: How Monica Lewinsky saved Social Security
by Steven Hill, New York Daily News, July 11, 2106
The ever-popular Social Security has had a number of saviors and destroyers over the years, but none of them more infamous than Monica Lewinsky. Eighteen years ago this month, special prosecutor Kenneth Starr was turning the screws on President Bill Clinton, with testimony from Lewinsky and others about salacious things like cigar tubes and sex stains on a blue dress.…
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Memo to Hillary Clinton: How to DOUBLE Social Security
by Steven Hill, BillMoyers.com, July 8, 2016
Here’s a plan to secure retirement for all Americans — without spending any more government money.
Recently President Barack Obama announced his support for expanding Social Security for our nation’s retirees. That is welcome news because Obama and other Democrats like Hillary and Bill Clinton have not always been the best friends of Social Security. …
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Defending a Sacred Trust: The High Stakes for the Future of Social Security
Interview with author Steven Hill, Truthout, June 29, 2016
Social Security is one of the most important and popular government programs of all time. Not only has it been crucial as a foundation for US retirees and as the most effective anti-poverty program ever — it also has been indispensable as “the policy cornerstone of a decades-old philosophy which deploys the ‘visible hand’ of government to foster a fair economy for all,” according to author Steven Hill in his new book, Expand Social Security Now: How to Ensure Americans Get the Retirement They Deserve.…
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Economic Policy Institute: Author Steven Hill on why we must expand Social Security (video)
Economic Policy Institute, June 28, 2016
Presentation by Steven Hill about his recently published book Expand Social Security Now! How to Ensure Americans Get the Retirement They Deserve. Hill appeared at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington DC, along with Nancy Altman, co-director of Social Security Works and Maya Rockeymoore, president of the Center for Global Policy Solutions.…
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C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal”: Book Discussion on Steven Hill’s “Raw Deal”
By Steven Hill, C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” June 26, 2016
Here’s the link to go the C-SPAN broadcast.
Author Steven Hill talks about his book, Raw Deal: How the Uber Economy and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers, about the evolution and negative effects he believes the “gig economy” is having on the U.S.…
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Die Zeit: European Union, reluctant superpower – get over it!
by Steven Hill, Die Zeit, June 23, 2016
(German language version, Du bist super – gewöhn dich dran!)
If you type the words “European Union” and “crisis” into the Google search engine, you instantly receive 115 million hits. When I did that back in 2009, before the eurozone crisis, “only” 58 million hits popped up.…
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The Future of Work in the Digital Economy: Promise and Peril
By Steven Hill, Deutsche Telekom AG, June 8, 2016
What will jobs of the future look like, in a world in which “sharing economy” companies like Uber, Upwork, and ClickWorker are becoming the model for a new kind of company?
On the positive side, these new ways of employment can open up some opportunity.…
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Tagesspiegel: Berlin should toughen actions against Airbnb
By Steven Hill, Tagesspiegel, June 2, 2016
(German language version, Berlin sollte härter gegen Airbnb vorgehen)
The cost of rental housing in Berlin has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, making it harder for many people to make ends meet. Many factors cause housing prices to rise, but one market pressure has come from the hotel service Airbnb.…
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Die Zeit: The future of work in a social democracy
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).…
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Lecture: “Innovation for Jobs” in the Digital Economy
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… -
American Prospect: How to Fix Social Security? Expand It
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.…
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Lecture: “The Future of Work: How the ‘Uber Economy’ and Runaway Capitalism Are Threatening Workers’ Livelihoods”
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… -
Handelsblatt: Germany’s false envy of Silicon Valley “startups”
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?”…
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Salon: Good riddance, gig economy: Uber, Ayn Rand and the awesome collapse of Silicon Valley’s dream of destroying your job
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.…
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Sierra: IS THE SHARING ECONOMY TRULY GREEN?
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.…