Households

March 21, 2014
Weekly Economic News Roundup and federal spending
Published by Elaine Schwartz at March 21, 2014
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The One Big Reason We Can’t Really Cut the Federal Deficit

It is tough to be a deficit hawk.   Rather than our typical spike in wartime spending, we have a peacetime deficit. (Please note that the federal […]

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March 16, 2014
Opportunity Cost Tradeoffs Pothole Cost
Published by Elaine Schwartz at March 16, 2014
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What We Sacrifice for Pothole Patches

With 150,000 more potholes than last year and $12 for each temporary patch, Chicago has spent close to $3 million on pothole repair and the end […]

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March 13, 2014
China's child policy and milk consumption
Published by Elaine Schwartz at March 13, 2014
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More Expensive Ice Cream?

Milk prices are going up. And yet, in the US, we are drinking less milk. According to Corey Geiger, managing editor of Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, one reason is […]

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February 26, 2014
economic news roundup and height matters
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 26, 2014
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Tall and Short Populations

Princeton economist Angus Deaton estimates that it will take 500 years for Indian women to reach the height of English women. In The Great Escape, Dr. […]

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February 23, 2014
sleep time
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 23, 2014
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The Plight of the Night Owl

I must start with my bias. I am a night owl. So too were Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin, James Joyce and Glenn Gould. In one […]

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February 13, 2014
grade inflatioin bubble
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 13, 2014
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Problems With Grade Deflation

The number of hours we study is down and our grades are up. Between 1961 and 2003, full time college students diminished their study time from […]

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February 12, 2014
drought marginal cost
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 12, 2014
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The Cost of Conservation

By Madeleine Vance, guest blogger and student at Kent Place School. Saving water is supposed to allow us to cut down costs. For the drought-stricken city […]

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February 9, 2014
weekly roundup and Ireland's GDP growth rate statistics
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 9, 2014
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Problems With the Unemployment Rate

Almost everyone is saying the unemployment rate is a problem. At 6.6% and with job creation at 113,000, the numbers reflect a troubled jobs market. The […]

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February 6, 2014
Weekly Economic News Roundup and federal spending
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 6, 2014
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A Surprising Connection Between Tennessee and the Affordable Care Act

There is probably a tradeoff between health insurance and the demand for jobs. During 2005 in Tennessee, the demand for jobs increased when 170,000 people lost their Medicaid […]

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February 5, 2014
Noise Pollution and Negative Externalities
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 5, 2014
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1930s Noise Pollution

In 1932, the NYC Noise Abatement Commission received a letter from Mr. N. Schmuck of 137 Milton Street in Brooklyn about the noise from a nearby […]

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January 31, 2014
Multigenerational boomerang households
Published by Elaine Schwartz at January 31, 2014
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Why Do Young Adults Live With Their Parents?

In Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, Malta and Italy, young people, age 25-34, live with their parents. But not in Denmark, Finland Sweden, and Norway. Below you can see the country […]

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January 30, 2014
Weekly Economic News Roundup and federal spending
Published by Elaine Schwartz at January 30, 2014
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Have We Halved the Deficit?

In the State-of-the-Union, President Obama said, “Our deficits–cut by more than half.” Looking at the federal deficit as a percent of GDP, we can say that the […]

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