Mar 12 Black: The Best Econ Books I’ve Read Recently Bill Black: I recommend looking at three books. Two of them focus on the interplay of economics and politics. James Galbraith is a professor of economics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs… Continue reading
Mar 11 Lo: The Best Econ Book I’ve Read Recently Andrew Lo: The best economics book I’ve read recently is Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique by Michael Gazzaniga. Now it’s true that Gazzaniga is a cognitive neuroscientist, not an economist, but the insights in this book… Continue reading
Mar 10 Baker: The Best Econ Books I’ve Read Recently This week, we are running guest posts from some of our favorite economists about the best economics book they’ve read in recent months. Dean Baker: Amidst all the tracts on health care written by policy wonks in the last couple… Continue reading
Mar 09 Shiller: The Best Econ Books I’ve Read Recently This week, we are running guest posts from some of our favorite economists about the best economics book they’ve read in recent months. Robert Shiller: I have two books here, that came out in the last couple months with similar… Continue reading
Mar 08 The Best Economics Book I’ve Read Recently Paul Solman: The most memorable book of the past month or so has been Yale historian Adam Tooze’s Wages of Destruction, an economic history of the Third Reich. Many striking facts — such as that the Volkswagen Beetle, ordered… Continue reading
Mar 05 Are Financial Institutions Exempt from Antitrust Laws? Question: Given the current size and concentration of financial activities in the hands of few financial institutions, wouldn’t antitrust laws apply to their activities? Are financial institutions exempt from anti-trust laws? Paul Solman: No, they’re not. But remember, the government… Continue reading
Mar 04 Has the Stimulus Been Effective? Question: I read Robert Barro’s analysis of the net effectiveness of stimulus spending recently in the Wall Street Journal and clearly he concludes it’s not. Why is there not more public debate about this? What’s not being said?… Continue reading
Mar 03 Should the Government Encourage More Americans to Purchases Treasuries? Question: I have a question about servicing the national debt. Would it make economic sense for the federal government to encourage more Americans to purchase Treasury instruments, thereby returning huge interest payments to our economy instead of paying foreign governments?… Continue reading
Mar 02 Was Social Security Doomed From Its Inception? Question: Was Social Security doomed from its inception as it began by paying benefits to a generation that had never put anything into the fund? Paul Solman: No. It is a pay-as-you-go system, meaning future generations pay for current retirees. Continue reading
Mar 01 Why Can’t We Simply Add to the U.S. Debt Indefinitely? Question: I am told over and over that the federal debt will lead to inflation and that our children and grandchildren will have to pay it back. I have heard this so often that I am starting to doubt it. Continue reading