By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal Click here to subscribe to Roosevelt First, our weekday morning email featuring the Daily Digest. Why Companies are Rewarding Shareholders Instead of Investing in the Real Economy (WaPo) Lydia DePillis looks at Roosevelt Institute Fellow J.W. Mason's new white paper on how the shift towards increased shareholder payouts since the 1980s has decreased corporate investment. If you’ve noticed the steep upward trajectory of the stock market over the past few years, looked around and wondered why cash doesn’t appear to be raining down upon your friends and neighbors, you’d be justified in wondering: What’s going on here?