Synopses & Reviews
Turning conventional wisdom on its head,
The Blue Way shows why socially progressive companies that make political contributions to "blue" politicians and causes outperform "red" companies.
The idea that progressives are better at businesses than conservatives will surprise most people - including many progressives. But as The Blue Way shows, in nearly every sector of the economy, blue companies are the top performers. As a result, an investor who places his money in stocks of blue companies will do better than one who chooses red companies or who chooses to invest in the market as a whole. In The Blue Way, Daniel Adamson and Joe Andrew, cofounders of Blue Investment Management, identify the companies that have the most progressive social values - fair wages, equal opportunity, environmental responsibility - and also contribute to progressive political causes (or are at least neutral). They describe the portfolio they have built around those companies, which to date has out-performed the market. Their innovative investment strategy offers a profitable approach for investors seeking a principled and successful stock portfolio.
But The Blue Way is also a stirring manifesto, a call to embrace socially and politically progressive values. As the authors show, these values aren't anti-business; they are pro-American. For decades the American economy has performed better under Democratic administrations than under Republicans. Americans who "buy blue," say Adamson and Andrew, aren't just acting on their values; they are helping to grow the American economy. The authors explain how to build a "blue infrastructure," a progressive ecosystem in which companies and activists with progressive values can support blue politicians and causes. The Blue Way shows how the progressive movement can learn from the success of the blue business world and create a new progressive majority for the future.The Blue Way describes a revolutionary investment strategy back by solid financial research that benefits investors while fostering socially progressive American values.
Review
"This is an important, timely book. Adamson and Andrew make a compelling case that sustainable investing strategies and progressive economic policies simply work better over the long term. This brief manifesto amounts to a full-blown challenge to conventional wisdom an the conservative economic establishment.- Joe Keefe, president and CEO of Pax World Management Corp.
Review
"The Blue Way illuminates the essentially political nature of corporations and personal investing - and then charts a course to bring socially progressive investing to a whole new level. This book can change the world."- Ben Cohen, cofounder of BenandJerry's
Table of Contents
Part One: The Blue SectorChapter 1The Great Illusion - 3Chapter 2Seeing Red - 13Chapter 3Being Blue Puts Companies in the Black - 39Chapter 4The Principles of Progressive Leadership I - 55Innovation, Flexibility, EcoefficiencyChapter 5The Principles of Progressive Leadership II - 75Dealing with Employees, Critics, and the Long HaulPart Two: The Blue ManifestoChapter 6Buying Blue - 99A Guide for the Awakened ConsumerChapter 7Painting Wall Street Blue - 123Politically Responsible Shareholder ActivismChapter 8The Blueprint - 147Building a Blue Financial InfrastructureChapter 9The Progressive Ecosystem - 171Chapter 10Blue America - 197The Future Progressive MajorityNotes - 211Acknowledgments - 229Index - 231