Jul 31 Why the benefits of the EPA's new carbon rule outweigh the costs for the U.S. -- just not by as much as you've heard By Robert Stavins The EPA's proposed regulation to cut carbon emissions is the subject of public hearings across the country this week. Environmental economist Robert Stavins weighs in on how the government is calculating the regulation's benefits, concluding that the benefits do outweigh… Continue reading
Jul 30 Big Mac index: Is the U.S. dollar overvalued? By Paul Solman Everyone knows prices in the U.S. vary regionally, just like certain products are cheaper in China, say, or far cheaper in the Ukraine. But that hardly demonstrates that the renminbi or hyrvnia currencies are overvalued, Paul Solman says, noting that… Continue reading
Jul 30 The most cost effective college in America? Not Harvard... By Simone Pathe The latest rankings of four-year colleges and universities come from Money Magazine, but the top schools in this list may catch some college-ranking connoisseurs by surprise. Continue reading
Jul 29 The worker-manager revolt in Massachusetts: Will loyalty trump 'ownership'? By Thomas Kochan Cashiers and managers have joined in protest for leadership they can trust at New England grocery chain Market Basket. MIT Sloan's Thomas Kochan outlines a path forward for the company that respects their message. Continue reading
Jul 28 Watch Top-down or middle-out? Debating the key to economic growth By PBS News Hour What’s the best engine to drive the economy? More money for the rich, or better wages for the working class? Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores the debate between those two lines of thought with billionaire venture capitalist Nick Hanauer and… Continue watching
Jul 28 Why capitalism has nothing to do with supply and demand By Nick Hanauer Billionaire venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, whose family owns a pillow company, says there's a limit to how much his wealth can buy. "I may earn a thousand times the median wage, but I don’t sleep on a thousand pillows," he… Continue reading
Jul 25 When a college contracts 'adjunctivitis,' it's the students who lose By Joseph Fruscione With adjunct professors constituting over 70 percent of college and university faculty, former professor Joe Fruscione explains why adjuncts are petitioning the Department of Labor about their working conditions, and why the real losers in this situation are the students… Continue reading
Jul 24 Why regulators should go to work on Wall Street By Simone Pathe The revolving door is a popular scapegoat for regulatory inefficiency, but new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests it shouldn't be blamed. Furthermore, locking the doors between the private and public sectors could actually make regulatory agencies… Continue reading
Jul 23 How brands make the man, and the woman – literally By Wahyd Vannoni All brands carry their own messaging about how we should look and act. And we take our cues from them -- whether it's a Starbucks Americano or a Harley Davidson motorcycle -- to shape our own identities, says marketing professor… Continue reading
Jul 18 Baby, it's you: Why boomers are an economic boon By Lincoln Caplan Between 2010 and 2030, the ratio of Americans 65 and older to those of working age is projected to increase by nearly 60 percent. With Americans living and working longer, Yale Law School's Lincoln Caplan questions the accuracy of the… Continue reading