America Takes a Capitalist Licking and Keeps on Ticking

The U.S. Owes Its Prosperity, in Part, to Its Tolerance for Bad Times, Says The Economist’s Adrian Wooldridge

The United States enjoys a special place atop the global economic heap, driven in large by Americans’ willingness to embrace change—even when it hurts.

But the country’s remarkable run could be stymied if businesses can’t figure out ways to stoke productivity anew, said The Economist political editor Adrian Wooldridge during “How Has America Survived Two Centuries of Capitalism?” a Zócalo/KCRW “Critical Thinking with Warren Olney” event at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles.

Wooldridge, a historian and journalist who has worked for the The Economist in …