The Big Think

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Words of wisdom from top economists, educators, and business leaders on the state of our economy.
Click on a quote to read the entire article.

“Cambridge is a great brand... The mentality now is more around MIT, Harvard, and the other universities than it is around the 128 corridor.”

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO

on the Mass. tech sector

“Stabilizing housing and mortgage credit must be part of our overall response to problems in our financial system.”

Sheila Bair, FDIC chair

on the housing market

“This is a good a time for workers to invest in themselves, to take advantage of the downtime... to learn new skills.”

Daron Acemoglu, MIT professor

on the changing workforce

“The state's best strategy is to reinforce its strengths and address its competitive weaknesses. There is no silver bullet here.”

Michael Porter, Harvard professor

on the Massachusetts job market

Video More thoughts from Michael Porter

“Recessions created dislocations, but also opportunities. New Englanders have often used the urgency of difficult times to create new engines of growth.”

Eric Rosengren, Boston Fed chief

on New England's recovery

“It's no accident that 70 energy start-ups have sprouted within 20 miles of Cambridge and Boston.”

Susan Hockfield, MIT president

on alternative energy

“Given the challenges that lie ahead, the odds of tax reform during the next decade are much higher than usual.”

James Poterba, MIT professor

on the need for new taxes

“We need to put most of the major financial institutions through accelerated bankruptcy. We're not going to get normal lending until we do that.”

Kenneth Rogoff, Harvard professor

on the financial system