Making Sen$e

Final jobs report under Obama shows slow, steady growth

By Kristen Doerer

That’s a wrap. December’s jobs report is the last for the Obama administration, and it ends on a high (if also predictable) note.

How employers kill worker motivation and what they can do to change

By PBS News Hour

Bemoaning America’s productivity slowdown, behavioral economist Dan Ariely set out to find what really motivates us. Behavior is driven by emotion, he concluded, not rewards like money; the ability to help other people, feel that we’re useful, feel that we’re…

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Column: What I learned about motivation from being a teenage burn victim

By Dan Ariely

When behavioral psychologist Dan Ariely was asked to share his experience as a teenage burn victim, he couldn't say no. But he wondered: What could possibly motivate him to revisit the suffering he had endured?…

Column: Work means everything to us — and hereafter it can’t

By James Livingston

We’ve placed so many bets on the social, cultural and ethical import of work that when the labor market fails, we’re at a loss to explain what happened or to orient ourselves to a different set of meanings for work…

My meds are cheap. Do I really need a Medicare Part D drug plan?

By Philip Moeller

In an effort to avoid Medicare's high-income surcharge, a Medicare beneficiary considers skipping a Part D drug plan. Should he? Journalist Phil Moeller has the answer in his weekly column, "Ask Phil."…

Column: 17 predictions to watch for in 2017 (and the next five years)

By Vikram Mansharamani

Radical uncertainty abounds, conflicting realities are everywhere, and seemingly structural trends appear to have reversed on a dime.

Column: Why we need to say goodbye to work

By James Livingston

Work means everything to us. But our beliefs around work are no longer plausible. In fact, they’ve become ridiculous, because there’s not enough work to go around, and what there is of it won’t pay the bills.

Column: I’m predicting an economic recession in 2017. Are you ready?

By Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation

The current U.S. economic expansion is nearly the third-longest since the 1850s, making a recession likely in 2017. It's time to get ready.

Column: Do you live in a bubble? These 100 communities do

By Charles Murray

The people living in ZIP codes in the top two percentiles include almost all of those who run the nation’s culture, economy and politics.

Will D.C.’s new paid family leave policy unintentionally encourage discrimination?

By Paul Solman

DC's new paid family leave is one of the most generous in the nation. But economist Harry Holzer worries the policy could have unintended consequences and hurt the women it's trying to help.