Economic History

November 9, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 9, 2011
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“Tweakers”

Referring to Steve Jobs, most of us think of innovation and entrepreneurship. Like Thomas Friedman in “(Steve) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs,” we imagine business starters and […]

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November 8, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 8, 2011
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The Future of Oil

When will we run out of oil? A room full of pistachios might have the answer. In the first several pages of The Invisible Heart: An […]

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November 4, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 4, 2011
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Frozen Jeans

Being a responsible citizen of the earth might mean freezing your jeans. According to Levi’s, one pair of jeans, from its inception in the cotton field […]

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November 2, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 2, 2011
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Default Deja Vu

Between its independence in 1829 and 2006, Greece has had 5 defaults or debt reschedulings that occupied a total of 50.6 years.  Described by Rogoff and […]

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October 28, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 28, 2011
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Euro Deal Primer

To understand euro zone bailout plans, just think BBB. Bonds, Banks, Bailout The Bonds: If you own Greek debt, then you would be asked to accept […]

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October 27, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 27, 2011
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Innovation and (Steve) Jobs

From the iPhone and iPod to a…thermostat? At a Silicone Valley start-up, a former Apple design leader has switched his focus to diminishing carbon emissions, decreasing […]

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October 26, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 26, 2011
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Innovation and Jobs

Just say, “More productivity, R & D and economies of scale,” and you are talking about large firms. New Yorker financial columnist James Surowiecki reminds us […]

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October 25, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 25, 2011
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Greece and Argentina

Nobody wants Greece to become Argentina. It all began with what scholars Rogoff and Reinhart called the lending boom of the 1990s. Enjoying the influx of […]

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October 24, 2011
Industries afflicted with Baumol's Disease have slower productivity growth.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 24, 2011
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Babies and the Elderly

The beginning of life and the end of life are becoming more expensive. The number of premature babies in the U.S. has soared by 36% during […]

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October 23, 2011
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 23, 2011
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Chinese Imports

Are you paying more for your clothing? According to NY Times financial journalist Floyd Norris, women’s shirt prices, dresses, sweaters, all that government statisticians consider female […]

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