Making Sen$e

How Do We Fix the Unequal Economy?

Jan. 17, 2014

How Do We Fix the Unequal Economy?

Dan Ariely's New Evidence That People Don't Care Much About Taxes
Dec. 26, 2013
Psychologist Dan Ariely reports on his most surprising findings of the year: maybe higher tax rates don't discourage working harder.
Tech's next feats? Maybe on-demand kidneys, robot sex, cheap solar, lab meat
Dec. 25, 2013
Optimists at Silicon Valley think tank Singularity University are pushing the frontiers of human progress through innovation and emerging technologies, looking to greater longevity and better health. As part of his series on Making $ense of financial news, Paul Solman explores a future of "exponential growth."
Why not Give Money Instead of a Gift? Evidence from the World of Work
Dec. 25, 2013
Dan Ariely on the surprising effects of monetary bonuses on performance.
The Economic Waste of Christmas Giving? Bah, Humbug!
Dec. 24, 2013
Gift-giving may be economically inefficient, but it's not a waste; it's a form of social training to help us learn to trust others, says Avner Ben-Ner.
Scrooge alert: Your holiday spending may result in an economic loss
Dec. 23, 2013
When purchasing holiday gifts for your friends and family, is it really the thought that counts? Some economists argue that spending money on presents that don't produce the same amount of satisfaction from the receiver is a dead weight loss. Paul Solman explores this grinchy economic perspective on the holiday shopping season.
Are the Fed and the Treasury in Cahoots?
Dec. 20, 2013
Why is one arm of the government buying loans from another?
What Happened to the Fed's Trillions? They're Back on Deposit...at the Fed!
Dec. 19, 2013
The Fed is ready to start tapering, but it's committed to keeping the federal funds rate low. So what does that mean for banks?
Tricking the brain with transformative virtual reality
Dec. 18, 2013
Want to have a just-like-real-life fantasy experience without leaving your living room? Virtual reality technology is already employed by certain industries, but economics correspondent Paul Solman considers the variety of applications it could have in the consumer market in the future.
Inside the Sanctum: How the Fed's Open Market Committee Decides What To Do
Dec. 18, 2013
How does the Fed reach policy decisions? Paul Solman simulated a meeting of the Fed's Open Market Committee to find out.
Why the Fed's Low Interest Rates Are Driving Dollars Abroad
Dec. 18, 2013
Quantitative easing -- keeping interest rates low -- has increased the flow of capital to foreign markets, notes former Fed economist Catherine Mann.
Not Whether to Taper, but How: Does the Fed Worry More About Stocks or Housing?
Dec. 17, 2013
The FOMC could make a nuanced decision about what parts of the monetary stimulus they taper.
To taper stimulus efforts? Examining the Fed's role in the economic recovery
Dec. 16, 2013
Since the financial crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve has created trillions of dollars to buy Treasury and mortgage-backed bonds. When is the right time for the Fed to begin slowing down their assistance? Economics correspondent Paul Solman examines how the Fed's buying has impacted the economic recovery.
What Would Bob Shiller Do If He, Not His 'Sister-in-Law,' Chaired the Fed?
Dec. 16, 2013
How would Nobel laureate Bob Shiller approach tapering?
The Miracle of Profit-Sharing: Year 65 and Still No Layoffs
Dec. 15, 2013
Lincoln Electric has paid an employee bonus for 80 straight years, and once again there were no layoffs in 2013. How do they do it?
How Detroit Leaders Ignored Causes of Bankruptcy for 65 Years
Dec. 13, 2013
State and local leaders have known what was plaguing their city for 65 years, and yet, they didn't pay attention to that foresight, says Lew Mandell.
Nobel economist Robert Shiller on how the stock market reflects psychology
Dec. 11, 2013
Yale University professor Robert Shiller was one of three Americans honored with the Nobel Prize for Economics for research on how financial markets work and how assets, like stocks, are priced. Economics correspondent Paul Solman sits down with Shiller to discuss the award, irrational exuberance and the global housing market.
Nobel Laureate Bob Shiller on Why the Fed Can't Say There's a Housing Bubble
Dec. 11, 2013
Yale economist Robert Shiller on winning the Nobel Prize and following his conscience.
The Day Reagan's Labor Secretary Admitted He Was Wrong About Inequality
Dec. 9, 2013
Northeastern University economist Barry Bluestone on the link between rising inequality and high unemployment -- and that time Reagan's labor secretary admitted to him the administration was wrong.
Rosier-than-expected jobs report doesn't improve outlook for long-term jobless
Dec. 6, 2013
The November jobs report boasted positive momentum, including gains in manufacturing and construction sectors. But economics correspondent Paul Solman reports that a high level of long-term unemployment continues to be a stubborn sour note for the American economy, with a political fight looming over unemployment benefits.
It's No Bubble: Why We Should All Give Bitcoin a Chance
Dec. 4, 2013
Bitcoin's not simply a bubble; it may be one of the truly major financial innovations that will force fiscal and financial reform.
Exploring the economics of the first Thanksgiving
Nov. 28, 2013
The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Mass., probably didn't resemble the modern holiday we celebrate today. Economics correspondent Paul Solman steps back in time to explore the contrasting exchange models used by Native Americans and pilgrims in 1621 and how that alters the meaning behind the first act of giving thanks.
The Newest Bubble: Peer-to-Peer Lending?
Nov. 27, 2013
Is a bubble boosting the market? Wall Street money manager Doug Dachille thinks so. He points to a smaller bubble that has a lot in common with the recent housing bubble and could be a sign of bigger things to come.
Bubble in the making? How the stock market might not reflect the current economy
Nov. 22, 2013
At the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow ended above 16,000, another record high. Meanwhile, companies continue to report healthy profits. And yet the recovery is weak and unemployment is high. Economics correspondent Paul Solman looks for answers and asks whether the Federal Reserve's stimulus has had the impact it intended.
The Priciest Part of Health Care -- And What To Do About It
Nov. 22, 2013
How would health care change if you paid for good care and not for every test? Harvard's David Cutler explains how Massachusetts is tackling the state's most expensive health care service.
Harvard's David Cutler on How to Cut Health Care Costs
Nov. 21, 2013
Massachusetts has the most expensive health care costs in the country. Harvard's David Cutler explains what the state is doing about it.

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Sounding an alarm on economic dysfunction by practicing sustainable living

Jan. 15, 2014

Economics correspondent Paul Solman profiles Chris Martenson, a former science professional who gave up his large home and high-status job for life in rural Massachusetts. From there he began expressing his deep dissatisfaction with the way the U.S. economy works and garnered a growing following on his website, Peak Prosperity.

How to Rate the Risks of Peer-to-Peer Lending, the Newest Bubble

Jan. 1, 2014

How to Rate the Risks of Peer-to-Peer Lending, the Newest Bubble

Weak job growth, unemployment drop signal 'unwinding' of labor participation

Jan. 10, 2014

Weak job growth, unemployment drop signal 'unwinding' of labor participation

What's the State of Economic Inequality in America?

Dec. 27, 2013

With emergency benefits for the long-term unemployed expiring Saturday, what does economic inequality look like in America and how is it tied to unemployment and mobility?