Macroeconomic Measurement

November 5, 2015

Why It’s Tough to Place the Poverty Line

Whether calculating the poverty rate in Rwanda or in the U.S., the income and/or consumption variables you select determine your results.

October 29, 2015

The Impact of a Legendary Economics Curve

Showing the connection between inflation and unemployment, the Phillips Curve has been re-interpreted, re-affirmed and condemned as a monetary policy tool.

October 27, 2015

Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Workers

One reason we have a labor force participation rate of 62.4 percent is because retirees, students, the disabled and people who care for family do not work.

October 21, 2015

An Update: What We Need to Know About the Debt Ceiling

A debt ceiling controversy could erupt by November 3rd when Jack Lew says the U.S. Treasury will need to borrow to meet its spending obligations.

September 30, 2015

Part 1: Understanding the Student Loan Crisis

The characteristics of the student loan crisis include a high default and delinquency rate, huge amounts of money and a personal and macroeconomic impact.

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.

September 14, 2015

Part 2: How the Middle Income Trap Could Catch China

While some high middle income economies have slowed down and then accelerated again, using World Bank criteria, China's economic growth is tough to predict.

September 13, 2015

Part 1: The Trap That China Wants to Avoid

Currently slowing down, China's economic growth might be challenged by the middle income trap that has caught Brazil but not Taiwan or Malaysia.

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 2, 2015

The World’s Sanitation Gap

A production possibilities graph can display the land, labor and capital underutilization that inadequate sanitation creates and indicate a constrained GDP.