Nation Nov 06 From Alan Greenspan to Justin Wolfers, economists consider the Fed’s ‘Dual Mandate’ On the eve of the release of October's employment data, which will paint the first official portrait of the labor market since the Federal Reserve ended quantitative easing last week, Making Sen$e turns to top economists, many of them former… By Simone Pathe
Nation Aug 08 Getting lucky: Why the economy has grown faster under Democratic presidents Over the past 64 years, from Harry Truman's first elected term through Barack Obama's first term, the economy has grown faster when Democrats are in the White House. How much of that is good policy versus good luck?… By Simone Pathe
Economy Aug 07 Is the “Perfect Storm” Metaphor Appropriate for the Economic Crisis? “The metaphor of the perfect storm is inapt. The captain’s action does not influence the height of the waves. Fed Chairman Bernanke, in contrast, participated in making and implementing interventions that worsened the financial crisis last year.” – from…
Economy Jul 31 Tales From the Fed: Blinder on Greenspan Paul Solman: The last in our extended interviews on the Fed: Alan Blinder, who served as the vice chairman of the Fed Board of Governors between 1994 and 1996, weighing in on Alan Greenspan’s legacy and what it was…
Jul 30 Tales From the Fed: Blinder on Fed Transparency By Business Desk Paul Solman: The Federal Reserve has long had a reputation for being secretive. Its closed-door policy has fueled suspicions and countless conspiracy theories since the central bank was established nearly a century ago. And since the Fed has moved rapidly… Continue reading
Jul 30 Watch Fed Struggles with Perceptions of Transparency As the debate over the Federal Reserve's transparency heats up in Congress, Paul Solman looks at the agency's attempts to balance public disclosure and the secrecy it uses to protect financial markets. Continue watching
Jul 28 Making Sen$e of the Federal Reserve Paul Solman: The newest edition of Making Sen$e, our site devoted to demystifying economics, is now up. As cutting-edge cyberspace cadets, we’re calling it “Making Sense 3.0,” but it really could be termed Making Sen$e of the Fed, as… Continue reading
Jul 28 Tales From the Fed: Blinder on the Fallout from Lehman’s Failure By Business Desk Paul Solman: All this week, we’re posting excerpts of interviews we did with former Fed officials on the economic crisis and the Fed’s evolving role in the economy. The series is in conjunction with the NewsHour’s hour-long public forum… Continue reading