Simon Caulkin

Unreachable companies and impersonal institutions: a crisis of unaccountability is fuelling popular rage and a mushroom cloud of conspiracy theories, a new book suggests. For answers, ignore economics and look to cybernetics, says Dan Davies

The downfall of the US aerospace giant was not accidental. It has important lessons for the economy as a whole, not just other shareholder-driven companies.

We’re used to targeted ads – though most people hate them. The next step: with the aid of surveillance and smartphones, companies are now beginning to personalise what we pay.

Sir Keir Starmer’s first job as PM is to bung the holes in the UK’s leaky ship of state and stop it sinking. Only then can the new crew turn it round and point it in a fresh economic direction

Economic incentives work, no question. But unless they are aligned with society’s interests, the inducements that were meant to generate more wealth end up consuming all the value that they created.

Private equity is a factory for billionaires whose uncomprising methods are incompatible with the public and caring services where they have made themselves at home

No CEO is worth 6,500 times the pay of an ordinary worker. But the pay escalator will continue to transport top bosses upwards until we cut the fuel line that feeds it.

Corporate dictatorships are on the rise – and their imperial heads wield more power on the world stage than many a national political leader.

Management is a mess, and refettling it for a digital age will be a formidable test. But there are solid building blocks to work from – and the scope for improvement is huge.

Private equity partners have become rich beyond the dreams of avarice since the Great Crash – now their reckless greed could bring the whole edifice crashing down