Huffington Post: We Need a Shot in the Arm, if Not a Moonshot
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Huffington Post: We Need a Shot in the Arm, if Not a Moonshot By Mark Penn and Don Baer, November 11, 2013 |
The recent dysfunction in Washington, with its massive collateral damage to the economy and national morale, couldn’t have come at a worse time. It was no mere blip in America’s otherwise good spirits. In fact, Americans haven’t thought the country was on the right track since 2004.
And now, according to a global poll commissioned by Thomson Reuters on “The New Professional,” it seems that not only are professionals in developed markets like the U.S. low on the drive, hunger, and entrepreneurial spirit that used to fuel our economy — but professionals in emerging-market countries like China, India, and Brazil are more than picking up the slack.
According to the poll, conducted by Penn Schoen Berland in partnership with Thomson Reuters in February and March of this year, only 29 percent of professionals in developed markets such as the US and the UK describe themselves as “always” or “almost always” optimistic, compared to a sizeable 48 percent of professionals in emerging-market countries such as China, India, and Brazil. When asked to rate the statement “I believe hard work will always be rewarded,” a paltry 17 percent of developed-market professionals strongly agreed, compared to 42 percent of emerging-market professionals. And regarding the statement, “I want to be able to be entrepreneurial in my job,” only 30 percent of developed-market professionals strongly agreed, compared to fully 58 percent of professionals in emerging markets.
