Macroeconomic Measurement

April 16, 2015

The Government Websites We Most Like (or Hate) to Visit

Website traffic can tell us the information we need from government and some clues about the federal budget.

March 27, 2015

The Dangerous Side of Economics

Because he revised his country's inaccurate deficit and received Eurostat approval, Greece's chief statistician might be prosecuted for "breach of faith."

March 19, 2015

Six Ways to Make Government Better

One of many examples in Peter Schuck's new book, the Social Security program shows how government can be successful and also why it "fails so often."

March 16, 2015

The Problem With Hitting the Debt Ceiling Again

With the U.S. hitting a debt ceiling that is equal to the GDP, concern over U.S. spending is growing as the Congress again decides how to avoid a default.

February 24, 2015

The Vaccine Benefits That No One Talks About

With better school attendance and learning, and then higher work productivity, the positive externalities of childhood vaccination have an economic impact.

February 20, 2015

Part 2: What To Do When More People Are Old

Facing an aging population and more entitlements, countries that are encouraging more births to expand the labor force might be creating a bigger problem.

February 13, 2015

Pondering the Bunker Hill Theory of Inflation

As the source of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve has to decide if interest rates should rise when inflation is low but a jobs recovery has begun.

February 12, 2015

Three Big Questions About the GDP

GDP problems include that it's not calculated the same way in different countries, its data can be tough to gather, and its components omit important items.

February 9, 2015

One Reason We Can’t Believe in Innate Talent

Limiting potential economic growth, the myth of innate talent in disciplines like philosophy diminishes the pool of female and Afro-American human capital.

January 27, 2015

The Reason It Can Be Tough to Cross the Street

Called the American Dream, the income mobility that lifts a child beyond a parent's poverty can depend on a community's characteristics.

January 20, 2015

How Chocolate Chip Cookies Explain Why We Save Less

Explained by behavioral economics, we save relatively little for retirement because of intertemporal selfishness and seeing our future selves as strangers.

January 8, 2015

Understanding a New Tax Issue

With the House requiring dynamic scoring of tax legislation from the CBO, the bigger tax debate resurfaces on how much redistribution and spending.