The Creative Monopoly

A recent article I read by David Brooks deals with the idea of a Creative Monopoly. His background story is pretty unique and he draws on that to suggest that people shouldn't focus on being more competetive but more monopolistic. The article states that Brooks is not referring to the idea of an illegal monopoly where you are focusing on eliminating your rivals but one where you create a new market that is unique and you are the only one who people can come to when they need that good. He stressed how our education system at the college level is creating competitive students who compete to get into schools and compete for jobs and then once they have a job compete against other companies and try to beat them in any way possible. He says that the problem with this competitiveness is that it is taking away from peoples abilities to be creative and find their own niche in the market which will ultimately result in a better outcome individually and to society. He values the idea of a "creative monopoly" over competitiveness because of the outcomes and he suggest that people should focus their goals on becoming better monopolists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/opinion/brooks-the-creative-monopoly.html?ref=unitedstateseconomy

Demand for Apartments Drives Commercial Building Rebound

A recent article I read discusses how a demand for apartments is driving an increase in commercial buildings. The article states that an improving economy is driving the demand for new apartments and a benefit of that is more stores and warehouses are also being built. Construction of these buildings is increasing as people are more confident in the economy and more willing to take chances. The article refers to the Generation Y age group and how they are marrying later in life which means at this current time they are focused on their careers and more accepting of jobs in urban areas where they are moving out of their parents house and into a place of their own. This is driving the demand for apartments because buying a home is still a risky decision and some of Generation Y are not even able to buy homes. This trend is going to increase the demand for apartments and that demand for apartments is driving a a construction spree of commercial buildings.



http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/22/business/la-fi-commre-comeback-20120422