Oct 10 How to teach self-control and reduce economic inequality By Walter Mischel If taught young, self-control skills can have strong protective effects, even helping those whose vulnerabilities might make them more likely to fall behind economically. That's according to Walter Mischel, author of "The Marshmallow Test," in part four of his conversation… Continue reading
Sep 04 Demanding higher wages, fast-food workers plan biggest national strike to date By Anna Christiansen The largest fast-food employee protest is poised to happen across the nation today. Organizers, including fast-food workers from KFC, Burger King, McDonald’s and other convenience restaurants, are demanding a pay bump to $15 an hour and fervently pushing to unionize. Continue reading
Jul 28 Why capitalism has nothing to do with supply and demand By Nick Hanauer Billionaire venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, whose family owns a pillow company, says there's a limit to how much his wealth can buy. "I may earn a thousand times the median wage, but I don’t sleep on a thousand pillows," he… Continue reading
Jul 25 When a college contracts ‘adjunctivitis,’ it’s the students who lose By Joseph Fruscione With adjunct professors constituting over 70 percent of college and university faculty, former professor Joe Fruscione explains why adjuncts are petitioning the Department of Labor about their working conditions, and why the real losers in this situation are the students… Continue reading
Jul 17 Real inequality: why things are better than they seem and will almost surely get worse By John Nye Welfare inequality, John Nye argues, is much less severe than it used to be, and trying to tax away or regulate income inequality will only make more intractable forms of inequality more pernicious. Continue reading
Jul 16 The cruel key to individual prosperity: choosing the right ancestors By Gregory Clark In a column adapted from one of the most provocative economics books of the year, "The Son Also Rises," economic historian Gregory Clark argues that social status is inherited from your parents just as strongly as height. Continue reading
Jun 03 Seattle city council approves $15 minimum wage, largest in U.S. By News Desk Seattle's city council on Monday unanimously approved a measure to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, the highest minimum wage in U.S. history to date. “We did this. Workers did this. Today’s first victory for 15 will inspire… Continue reading
May 23 The critique of Piketty and his reply By Thomas Piketty Former Harvard president Larry Summers admires the research of "rock star" French economist Thomas Piketty, but he's been skeptical that innovation and entrepreneurship don't have more to do with the high rate of return on capital. Innovation is great, Piketty… Continue reading
May 16 Will the rich always get richer? By Laurence Kotlikoff Our regular Social Security columnist takes issue with French economist Thomas Piketty's inequality theory. Income inequality is real, he thinks, but it doesn't stem from the rich accumulating and hoarding ever more private wealth. Continue reading
May 15 The fast food strike: the hard facts behind the Big Mac attack By Simone Pathe Fast food workers in dozens of American cities and across the world walked off the job Thursday to demonstrate for a $15 an hour minimum wage. Talking to a McDonald's worker trying to make ends meet on $9.85 an hour,… Continue reading