It is not a coincidence that the most successful global economy, by any traditional capitalist measure, is an authoritarian quasi-communist state.
The Hang Seng index is "the ultimate capitalist measure of Hong Kong," Robert Nield, president of the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, wrote in a foreword to Mr. Kwan's 2008 book, "The Dragon and the Crown: Hong Kong Memoirs".
Traditional venture capitalists measure success exclusively by how much they sell the investment for, but NBC and most other media arms have a dual goal.
Market capitalists measure success simplistically -- by financial returns, market share and stock price.
The way forward, therefore, might be a new style of venture capitalist that measures its returns in scientific success, rather than dollars.
In most capitalist economies, such measures still exclude workers from the actual direction and control of enterprises.
Although there are differences in policy style and determination from one nation to the next, all capitalist governments have taken measures to overcome recession whether by lowering taxes, by borrowing and spending, or by easing interest rates and all pursue the opposite kinds of policies in inflationary times.
Conversely, Roser worries that the fact that, by many measures of development, capitalist democracies have been successful, makes this long-term data analysis susceptible to hijack by free-market evangelists.
Speeding to campaign events across this Andean capital, Lucio Gutiérrez sounds every bit the button-down capitalist who by nearly every measure appears poised to win the presidency in an election this Sunday.
In Soviet times, the KGB used what it called active measures to destabilise its capitalist enemies.
