▁er oded ▁the ▁avail ability ▁of ▁middle - class ▁jobs ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁economy . ▁Initial ly ▁these ▁changes ▁in ▁employ ment ▁were ▁corpor ate ▁re actions ▁to ▁changes ▁in ▁extern ally ▁im posed ▁industrial ▁conditions . ▁ ▁Sub sequently , ▁however , ▁many ▁major ▁U . S . ▁corpor ations ▁have ▁implemented ▁these ▁employ ment ▁practices ▁purely ▁for ▁financial ▁gain . ▁ ▁The ▁increased ▁prof its ▁have ▁been ▁distributed ▁to ▁share hold ers ▁as ▁huge ▁stock ▁rep urch ases ▁on ▁top ▁of ▁gener ous ▁divid end ▁pay ments . ▁L azon ick ▁arg ues ▁that ▁U . S .- style ▁stock - based ▁compens ation ▁gives ▁top ▁corpor ate ▁execut ives ▁a ▁v ested ▁interest ▁in ▁this ▁financial ized ▁mode ▁of ▁corpor ate ▁resource ▁allocation . ▁ ▁A ▁full ▁art ic ulation ▁of ▁the ▁th esis ▁that ▁p ins ▁poor ▁economic ▁performance ▁on ▁the ▁financial ized ▁business ▁enter prise ▁can ▁be ▁found ▁in ▁three ▁of ▁L azon ick ' s ▁recent ▁papers : ▁" T aking ▁Stock : ▁How ▁Executive ▁Pay ▁Results ▁in ▁an ▁Un stable ▁and ▁I ne qu itable ▁Econom y ," ▁Ro ose vel t ▁Institute ▁White ▁P aper , ▁June ▁ 5 , ▁ 2 0 1 4 ; ▁" L abor ▁in ▁the ▁Tw enty - First ▁Century : ▁The ▁Top ▁ 0 . 1 ▁Per cent ▁and ▁the ▁Dis app ear ing ▁Middle ▁Class ," ▁in ▁Christian ▁W eller , ▁ed ., ▁Fin an cial ▁Market ▁Develop ments ▁and ▁Labor ▁Rel ations ,