Fiscal policy

October 2, 2015

The Importance of Accurately Estimating When We Will Die

Retirement savings and income depend on the person's prior income, longevity, the macroeconomic environment, Social Security and other entitlement programs.

September 22, 2015

Next Week’s Budget Problems

Always contentious, the federal budget needs to be approved by October 1st or a continuing resolution needs to enable discretionary federal spending.

September 16, 2015

Bringing The Martian Down to Earth

For pure enjoyment The Martian is a good read but also it helps us recognize how travel to Mars has and will have positive externalities on earth.

September 15, 2015

Why Doing Good is Not Always Easy

By recognizing the tradeoffs of recycling, preserving endangered species and improving world health, doing good could become more productive.

August 25, 2015

Using a Fat Tail to Describe Stock Market Risk

When the unexpected occurs and changes our view of stock market risk, we call it a black swan or fat tail because it is far from the mean of a bell curve.

August 19, 2015

How to Find More of the American Dream

Recognizing that neighborhoods with better schools and other shared characteristics affect income mobility, anti-poverty policy can become more effective.

August 13, 2015

The Values That Make Us Spend More

For major OECD countries and the U.S., the source and destination for healthcare spending reflect national values about limited government.

August 3, 2015

The Reason We Should Drive Around in Circles

As we improve our transportation infrastructure, the roundabout has become increasingly attractive because of safety, ease and cost.

July 29, 2015

Paying More at the Gas Pump

Because of a low gasoline tax, the Highway Trust Fund does not have enough money to maintain the transportation infrastructure of highways and mass transit.

July 24, 2015

The Real Eurozone Problem

Although people in the eurozone want a single currency and their leaders want unity, monetary union problems create political distrust and disunity.

July 7, 2015

The Tax We Should Like

Among the least popular forms of taxation, property taxes are the most desirable because of their incentives, whom they target and their resilience.

July 1, 2015

When to Worry About Sovereign Debt

Comparing debt to GDP is like looking at a mortgage loan and household net worth. It can help us decide when a sovereign debt became too large.