Jan 19 The wealthiest are getting wealthier, and lobbying has a lot to do with it By Simone Pathe On the eve of the president's State of the Union address and the World Economic Forum, Oxfam is predicting a widening wealth gap and pointing a finger at the millions of dollars spent on lobbying in the United States for… Continue reading
Jan 18 Watch 3:43 Inside Obama’s middle class tax plan By PBS News Hour President Obama will reportedly unveil a plan to offer tax relief for the middle class during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The plan would be paid for by increasing taxes the rich pay on investments and… Continue watching
Jan 18 Obama to pitch tax plan to aid middle class in SOTU address By Julie Pace, Associated Press President Barack Obama is turning to his biggest television audience of the year to pitch tax increases on the wealthiest Americans and put the new Republican Congress in the position of defending top income earners over the middle class. Continue reading
Jan 16 Unemployment insurance doesn’t just help the unemployed By Simone Pathe We often hear how unemployment insurance will affect recipients. But a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that social insurance can have a stabilizing effect on the housing market in times of crisis, not just… Continue reading
Jan 15 Watch 6:43 American rapper taps into the flow of China’s economy By PBS News Hour A Fulbright scholar studying in China found an unusual calling for his language skills and economics knowledge: writing and performing bilingual raps about Chinese development and inequality in Beijing comedy clubs. With songs like “Mo Money, Mo Fazhan” and “Laowai… Continue watching
Jan 15 Watch 4:46 Not Trending stories: Stashing Polish packages, paying Indonesia’s poor By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jan 15 Target shutting down in Canada after only two years By Megan Thompson Target announced Thursday that it will shut down its struggling operations in Canada, less than two years after its launch there. Continue reading
Jan 15 Understanding modern China through comedic rap By Simone Pathe Stand-up comedian Jesse Appell has made a name for himself in China, parodying pop songs with lyrics about China's macroeconomic woes. Paul Solman catches up with the Boston Fulbright student on the NewsHour Thursday. Watch Appell's music videos, in full,… Continue reading
Jan 15 What’s the most fiscally responsible country in the developed world? By Laurence Kotlikoff Countries like Germany have gotten away with lecturing others about their fiscal prudence. But maybe the Germans should take a look around them, argues economist Larry Kotlikoff, to see which European Union country is doing it better. Continue reading
Jan 14 What older workers need to know about the hybrid health care world By Philip Moeller Making Sen$e Medicare Maven Phil Moeller helps readers navigate the different health care combinations now available to so many workers staying on the job past age 65. Continue reading