The killer-apps of progress
While we are discussing ‘Apps’, and the super-apps which some call ‘Killer Apps’, here is a concept I like: The ‘apps’ that made America great, but are now being used in other countries to catch up.
The Harvard historian Niall Ferguson has just written a book, ‘Civilization: The West and the Rest’, to be released in November. Ferguson writes that for several centuries the West had ‘patented’ six killer Applications that set it apart, the secret sauce of Western civilisation:
* Competition.
* Science.
* The rule of law and private property rights.
* Modern medicine.
* The consumer society.
* The work ethic.
Japan was the first to use (‘download’) those apps and, within a few decades after their defeat in the war, their economy jumped to become No. 2, second only to the US. Now, China, India and several others have adopted the ‘killer-apps’ and are growing fast.
America’s success has come because of policies and developments of the 1950s and ’60s: the interstate-highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public-education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies.
The US remains the world’s largest economy, has the largest military by far, the most dynamic technology companies and an entrepreneurial business climate. But, at the same time, it is diluting the things that made it great and is steadily falling behind.
The following rankings come from various lists, but they all tell the same story. According to studies by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization, American 15-year-olds rank 17th in the world in science and 25th in math, 12th among developed countries in college graduation and 79th in elementary-school enrolment. US infrastructure is ranked 23rd in the world, well behind that of every other major advanced economy.
America is 27th in life expectancy, 18th in diabetes and first in obesity. But too, America has the most guns, the most crime among rich countries, and the largest amount of debt in the world. This slippage is because we are tackling our economic problems politically. American politics is now hyper-responsive to interests that are dedicated to preserving the past rather than investing for the future. Politicians are tuned to those with cash to spend. There are no lobbying groups for the young, for next generation of industries and innovation.
There are no special-interest groups for our children’s economic well-being, only for people who get government benefits right now. The whole system is geared to preserve current subsidies, tax breaks and loopholes. When the time comes to make cuts, guess whose programs are first on the chopping block.
America’s decades old investments made it great. Today, the country is stuck in a morass of political infighting to preserve the past. This is causing us to slip, while the world is catching up.
Useless college degrees
For a half century or more, Americans have sent their kids to college to prepare them for higher-paying jobs and a better life than their parents. Going to college was the route to success.
Now, a new report from Harvard Graduate School of Education argues that greater emphasis on vocational training, apprenticeships, and technical job training outside of a formal college setting would better serve America’s young people. The study, ‘Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century’, says that going to college is not the right route for many, especially young men.
Going to college works well for affluent students who can draw on family and social connections. But it is becoming increasingly irrelevant. The US now has the highest college dropout rate in the industrialised world. Today, men make up only 43% of enrolled students on American college campuses.
In Europe, and especially Germany which is a model for growth, students move on different tracks, depending on their abilities and inclination. They place more emphasis on vocational training in high school – teaching adolescents how to use their skills in the real world.
We need to fix American education – particularly the inequalities Americans face at the starting line. Bright children from poor families are less likely to get the right education than the much less intelligent children of the affluent. This represents a huge waste of the country’s human potential.
Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and commentator, writer, technology futurist and angel investor. His popular e-mail newsletter, JimPinto.com eNews, is widely read (with direct circulation of about 7000 and web-readership of two to three times that number). His areas of interest are technology futures, marketing and business strategies for a fast-changing environment, and industrial automation with a slant towards technology trends.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version