Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, comments in a news story about Madeline Janis, who pioneered local hiring agreements in the Los Angeles area. Pollin told Janis that existing Buy America policies were inadequate and encouraged her to develop the Jobs for America program, a nonprofit group that works to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. (The American Prospect, 4/9/18)
Day: June 5, 2018
A long news story on the continuing debate over the minimum wage and whether increasing it take away jobs notes that Arindrijit Dube, economics, described as “perhaps contemporary economics’ most prominent defender of minimum wage increases,” says it matters where the increases are applied. He says for example, that raising the rate in a prosperous coastal city could have much different impacts than doing it in poorer parts of the country. (The Guardian [U.K.], 4/13/18)
Gerald C. Friedman, economics, says the transition of the Berkshire County economy from one based on manufacturing to one now based on its natural beauty and cultural attractions is a “natural transition” reflecting changes in the global market. He also says tourism is what many people do with their extra money, so the Berkshires benefit from this trend. (Berkshire Eagle, 4/2/18)
M.V. Lee Badgett, economics, comments about a study that found there is a correlation between a country’s GDP per capita and LGBTQ acceptance. She says programs and policies that reduce violence stigma and discrimination and improve education and health care allow LGBT people to realize their full economic potential and that boosts the overall economy. (MetroWeekly [Wash. D.C.],
Léonce Ndikumana, economics, says the loss of foreign exchange due to illegal outflows of money taken from key elements of the economies of Africa is hindering their efforts at economic development. His comments are in a story about how Malawi is struggling to overcome lost revenue due to smuggling, tax evasion and corruption. (Malawi 24, 4/16/18)
Arindrajit Dube, economics, is co-author of a study that found crowdsourced workers who were able to choose their tasks and hours received wages worth about 20 percent of the value of their work while employers were compensated at between 20 percent and 80 percent of the value of the work. Dube and his colleagues also suggest that wages for people in the gig economy are likely to fall over time. (The Atlantic, 4/4/18)
M.V. Lee Badgett, economics, is co-author of a column about the connection between countries that support LGBT rights and how that helps create strong economies for everyone. Conversely, research shows that when LGBT rights are restricted, there is a measurable negative impact on the economy, Badgett says. (The Advocate, 4/27/18)
Michael A. Ash, economics, comments in a news story that talk about studies that show the relationship between racial segregation and increases in air, water and even noise pollution. Ash says segregated minority areas of cities get a lot more pollution. “It’s so much pollution that it led not only to very high exposure to minorities, but it actually bounces back to at least some whites.” (New York Times, 4/3/18)
Gerald C. Friedman, economics, writes an essay where he looks at how national economic policies have been one of the driving factors that have increased economic growth is some parts of the country, especially the Northeast and West Coast while growth has been much slower in the industrial Middle West, South and West. (Dollars & Sense, March/April 2018)